


Let's Not Wipe Out the Human Kind

by Ainsa



Series: Let's Not Wipe Out the Human Kind [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Loki - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Iron Man 3, M/M, Minor Character Death, Post-Avengers (2012), Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:54:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 42,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22988218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ainsa/pseuds/Ainsa
Summary: Nova lives a mediocre live with her housemate Anna and boyfriend Josh in the town of Winderbrook, just 20 miles from Soutes which is just in the state of New York. Their quiet lives get disrupted as the Avengers decide to destroy Nova's house. Somehow this results in Tony Stark begrudgingly giving Nova a job at the Stark Industries Avengers Compound. But being an employee to the Avengers is not without consequences. Especially not where the god of mischief is concerned.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Let's Not Wipe Out the Human Kind [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828780
Comments: 5
Kudos: 71





	1. The Power Outage

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone,  
> This is my second fanfic and my first on Ao3. I'd love to hear some constructive criticism on anything.

Turning the keys in the lock of the weary door, Nova locked the bookstore up for the night. It hadn’t been particularly busy today and yet it she had worked two hours past closing to sort and price all the new books. It was dark already, and raining, making the streetlights reflect of the wet cobblestones in the narrow street. Poetic, it almost sounded like a line from one of her favourite books, nova pondered, while she flipped the collar of her navy coat up against the wind and rain.

The chilly weather didn’t slow her down as she walked down the street. Nova actually didn’t mind the rain, except when she had to look fancy and the rain destroyed her looks and made her hair fizzy. Three blocks and a left turn later she opened the front door of her house. Already anticipating the smells of the dinner Anna would have prepared and finished about two hours ago. As the door fell close, there was no delighted shriek of her housemate, no scent of roast chicken or slightly burned stew and most importantly no lights.

The hallway was dark as seemed to be the rest of the house. Nova made her way into the kitchen, shedding her coat and draping it over one of the chairs adjoining the dining table. No note on the counter, perhaps a new one on the fridge, reading along the notes as she went. A shopping list stating that the milk and eggs were finished, a note with a short recipe how to make a breakfast smoothie, the cleaning schedule that finished three months ago. Oh there was a new note, asking if Nova knew where to buy quinoa.

Probably one of her housemates short-lasting obsessions. Anna her zealous housemate was a chemistry student at the Soutes university college, who had a new obsession every few weeks. Most had something to do with the current hype on social media. The last one was an environmentally friendly spurge that resulted in an exchange of all plastic utilities for either wooden, bamboo or fabric ones. Somehow Nova still hadn't gotten used to her bamboo toothbrush. The longest lasting one was an obsession with flamingos, which still recurred every once in a while, resulting in an abundance in flamingo themed utilities around the house. The new one apparently had to do with South-American grains.

Not that Nova herself didn’t have obsessions. Hers just didn’t have to do with the environment or a healthy lifestyle or a weirdly specific pink bird. Nova obsessed over books and book-series. Once she got her head stuck in a story her entire life would continue in said story for a couple of weeks until the series was finished and reread about five times. Then she would continue with the next series and get lost in the story all over again.

Opening the fridge she noticed the electricity was out. “Perfect…” She muttered under her breath as she closed the fridge and went back to the hallway towards the fuse-box. All the fuses were blown. Nova raised her eyebrows as she looked at the panels by the light of her phone. Carefully she reached out to flip one of the switches, quickly retracting as it gave her an electric shock. “Ow! Fuck! Careful” Bewildered she looked at the fuse. No electricity, that would explain why Anna wasn't home. “You could’ve left a note, you know” she said to the dark house. Nova Checked her phone. No messages from Anna. There was one from Josh though.

_Hey SC I have to take a raincheck for tonight, the boys are coming over to watch the game. You can still come if you want, no obligations. X J_

Ugh, Why can’t he stop with the sweet-cheeks? Nova hated the nickname but ‘the boys’ had somehow made it stick. Right, the game. The boys, as josh called his weird group of friends consisted of four guys and Lisa. They were always polite, trying to make her feel welcome and by now even so at ease around her that they dared to tease Nova. The downside was that they only talked sports, or cars or women, even Lisa. And somehow these subjects always rubbed the wrong way with Nova. However there would be food, drinks and the heating would work at josh’s. Also she hadn’t seen him for three days, which made her feel slightly guilty.

_Fuses blew, no electricity. I'm on my way. X N_

At Josh's she was greeted by a chorus of "Nova!" and "Sweet-cheeks" by the boys while Lisa just shyly waved and Josh gave her a quick peck on the cheek while shoving a plate of food in her hands and taking her coat with his free hand.  
  
"How did you know I hadn't had dinner yet?" Nova asked Josh while he walked her towards the dining table in the back of the living area. "You texted about a power outbreak" Nova signalled for him to continue while diving into the plate of pasta. "Last time I checked dinner still needs to be warm to count as actual dinner” Josh winked at her conspiratorially “also you worked late or you would've responded quicker to my text". Nova nodded, swallowing her mouthful "thank you, that's very considerate". "He's just trying to get in your pants Sweet-cheeks" Bob shouted from the couch.  
  
"Now Josh, are you coming to watch the game or what?" He immediately was showered with snacks from the rest of the group. "Ssh, they were having a moment." Lisa scolded him before turning to Josh and ordering "On your way, could you bring more beers?" "Six?" a chorus of approval followed Josh as he walked back to the kitchen to get the ordered drinks.  
  
Nova took the latest book out of her backpack and opened it in front of her. A story about an American Jew trying to smuggle Ethiopian Jews to Israel through Sudan. Based on a true story, not her usual choose of books but a Jewish woman in her store had recommended it. Nova not knowing there was a Jewish group of African descent had instantly wanted to know more. So far the story was exciting and she had trouble taking breaks once she started reading. She didn’t lose herself in the story however, which was probably better due to the amount of deaths occurring.  
  
About halfway through the game the boys were starting to get pleasantly drunk, judging by the rise in volume and playfully meant insults they threw at one another. Nova decided to continue reading in bed, where it would be quieter, hopefully. She whispered her plans in Josh's ear. He turned around, put his arms around her and gave her a passionate kiss. Something that made Nova incredibly uncomfortable with his friends ‘Oohing’ and making kissing noises around them. With red cheeks Nova waved her goodbye at the rest of the group and made her way upstairs.

* * *

  
"Sweet-cheeks, come on get up!" "no." she put her pillow over her head against the light and the noise of the radio blasting away on the nightstand. The next moment the blankets were gone and she curled up into herself. "You know the deal, you sleep here you come running with me." How long had he been trying to get her up? Nova rolled over looking at her tormenter. She couldn't really blame him. Josh extended his hand "deal's a deal". "yeah, yeah, I know" Nova allowed herself to be pulled of the bed. He pointed to a stash of workout clothes. "They're probably too big but you didn't bring yours."  
  
Almost an hour later Nova still managed to jog behind her way to fanatical boyfriend as he shouted encouragements at her. A sting in her left side forced her to slow down to a stand-still. Bend over bracing her hands on her knees she tried to catch her breath. "Here" Josh’s running shoes accompanied by his way to muscular calves and knees and a water bottle appeared in her view. She emptied the water bottle as he looked at her apologetically. "better?". Nova just nodded, straightening her back with a groan.  
  
"I'm going for another round, see you at home?" Josh still looked at her with a mix of concern and disappointment. "I think I'm going back to my place, call the electrician and then get to work" Josh nodded, "sure, see you" "uhu" a quick sweaty peck on the lips and he was gone for his next lap. Nova stared after him, appreciating the view of his toned legs and bum as he run away from her.  
  
Apparently this morning a miracle had occurred as the buildings electricity was back. Nova was unable to convince the grumpy electrician that the fuses were blown last night and this was not some sort of practical joke. After bribing the man not to put the house on the black list he left and Nova went to work. Work seemed even less eventful today. Her boss, Mr Whittle, an awfully small, elderly man with huge glasses and little tufts of white hair sticking up from behind his ears, just stuffed a duster in her hand and waved to the rows of books. Nova spent the entire afternoon cleaning the back of the store before he finally snapped out of whatever occupied him in the first place. “Nova, why don’t you go home early, I saw in the books you worked late yesterday. I’ll close up.” Nova looked up from the shelf she was currently dusting. “Sure Mr Whittle, if that’s no problem” Nova liked the old man, grumpy as he may seem, he was a man of little words but his heart was in the right place. Mr Whittle just waved his hand in a dismissive gesture before turning back to the counter he had been looking at before.  
  
As she turned the corner towards her house, the first thing that stood out was the crowd. As if everyone who lived in Winderbrook had decided to look at the specific architecture of her street. Which might have been the case if the town hadn’t been bombed back in the war and every house that was built after the war looked the same. So they must have gathered for something else. A feeling of dread settled itself in Nova’s stomach as she started weaving through the crowd. Here and there she could hear shreds of stories being told. “I swear, that was Ironman!” “Did you see Thor?” “I heard Loki tried to escape, he didn’t get far obviously” “Look at the damage, poor girls, where are they going to live now?”. Nova looked up from halfway in the crowd. It looked as if someone had dropped a bomb, that very specifically destroyed her house. She made her way further towards the front. Seeing the police cars, a fire truck and a van of SHIELD. No sign of Thor or Ironman for that matter.

Nova got to the front of the crowd and waved at the police officer. "Excuse me, officer! That's my house." She pointed at what obviously wasn’t a house anymore. The woman turned towards her. "More like 'was' " a teenage boy two rows back snickered. "I'm sorry bout your house honey. If you show me your identification, I'll see what I can do" Nova handed over her passport while looking at the fireman and SHIELD employees going through the tumble that once was her house. An ambulance caught her eye, it stood to the side, back doors open blocking the view of whoever was inside. A cold hand wrapped itself around Nova’s insides. Anna! Her breathing suddenly came in rapid gasps, please let Anna be unharmed!


	2. Such a shame of my flamingo-onesie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An ambulance caught her eye, it stood to the side, back doors open blocking the view of whoever was inside. A cold hand wrapped itself around Nova’s insides. Anna! Her breathing suddenly came in rapid gasps, please let Anna be unharmed!

Nova felt the blood race away from her face as her focus zoomed in on the ambulance. It wasn’t on its way to the hospital, so either the injuries weren’t too bad or they hadn’t found a body. What if Anna was somewhere underneath the rubble, struggling to breathe, getting crushed by the rescue workers whose only job now was to actually rescue her! Nova felt like fainting, her breathing coming in harsh but not seeming to give her body any of the much needed oxygen.

“Miss, are you all right?” the voice of the police officer now holding the police-tape up for Nova to duck underneath, triggered Nova out of her thoughts. She forced herself to take a deep breath and buried her feelings of panic under deep layers of control, setting her face in an blank expression. She ducked under the tape and nodded her thanks to the police officer as she was escorted to the ambulance. The moment of truth was there, would Anne be unharmed? It just then came to Nova that Anne possibly hadn’t been home and thus didn’t even know their house was gone.

She walked around the opened door of the ambulance and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. There wrapped in a blanked was Anna, her pixie cut brown hair without any red splotches. She jumped up at the sound of approaching footsteps and launched herself at Nova. “Thank goodness, you were at work. I was so scared. There were all these noises in the house and-“ Anna looked at Nova with wide eyes, her face was dirty and she clearly had been crying. “and then the whole thing blasted to smithereens.” Anna hiccuped and a few new tears escaped her eyes, dragging clean paths through the dirt on her cheeks. “and, well, uh”

“Are you hurt?” Nova looked sternly at her best friend, frantically hiding her relief from her face. Anna didn’t seem hurt, scared yes, but unscathed. “I, no, no, I was at the front door when it happened.” Suddenly Anna’s eyes looked dreamy as she continued dreamily “Captain America saved me.” Nova just raised an eyebrow as Anna started chattering about how Captain America’s biceps were way bigger than josh’s and how handsome…. Nova just turned out looking at the rubble. Anna followed her direction, new tears brimming on the edges of hers. “I’m so sorry about the house, and all your stuff, your books and-“ Nova pulled Anna to her chest and let the crying girl empty her eyes in her shirt. “I’m sorry too, but it was just a house, sssh, it’s okay, we’re going to be fine, it was just stuff, it’s fine, nothing that cannot be bought again.” She soothed her friend with words that ran numbly from her lips.

Nothing that cannot be bought again. That was the problem wasn’t it? The house was an inheritance from an uncle gone-crazy. And with her salary from the bookstore there was no way she could afford to rebuild the house. Or even buy one for herself. She’d have to look into renting. Anne could go to her family, they lived a bit further away from the university but at least she would have a place to stay. Maybe she could stay with Josh for a while. They’d never tried the living together thing before, and the idea of having to go for a run every morning wasn’t very appealing either. That however wasn’t the reason she didn’t want to live with Josh, it was such a big next step in their relationship. Just thinking about it made her feel nauseous and turn her muscles to ice. Anne seemed to notice the change in Nova as she tried to lighten the mood with a joke, “such a shame of my flamingo-onesie though, I bet Captain America would have been unable to keep his eyes off me wearing that.” Anne looked up hopefully as Nova grinned down at her and mouthed a silent “thanks”.

At that moment a woman in SHIELD uniform came to them. “Miss Porter, I believe your parents have arrived to escort you home. As for you miss Sta-“ “Just Nova will do” Nova interrupted the woman as Anna handed her blanked back to the medics and headed to her parents. From where she was standing Nova could see she had started crying again and was joined by her mother. The officer had turned to Nova now. “As for you Nova, is there anyone we can call for you? Parents? Guardian? A Boyfriend perhaps?” Nova just shook her head but hesitated at the mention of a boyfriend. “I’ll call him myself” she said, looking at the woman who reminded her strangely of sergeant Donovan in the new Sherlock series on the BBC. The woman just nodded and took out a notepad, “I do need your personal data and statement if you don’t mind.” Nova just looked at the woman and took out her phone, sending a quick text to Josh that would hopefully subdue his panic as he watched the news tonight. Then she started answering the woman’s questions.

At Josh’s place she was immediately wrapped in his long arms as he pulled her close, resting his chin on her shoulder. Then just as suddenly as he had hugged her he released and gripped her upper arms, just short of painful, making Nova freeze. “Do you have any idea what you did to me? All I get is a lousy text saying ‘House is gone, I’ll be at yours in two’. No explanation, not even the decency to state whether you’re okay!” Nova just stared at the blue eyes of her boyfriend, they were red-rimmed. She felt like she should have some reaction to that, but she was numb. “You were worried” “Of course I am bloody damn worried! What did you think? I’d be sipping margarita’s while you were dying?” Nova did everything she could not to raise her eyebrow. “I’m not dying” “Yes, I can see that now!” “I’m sorry”

Josh let out a deflated sigh as he wrapped his arms around her again. “Promise me you’ll never do that again” he uttered against Nova’s shoulder. She nodded and then sagged against him. “How are you doing? Really?” he asked tentatively as he moved them from the hallway into the living room. “It’s gone, it’s all gone, everything” Nova whispered, fighting to hold back tears. She really had not much left, did she? There was Josh, of course, and Anna was also unharmed, though she now lived a couple of hours away. “Everything will be fine” somehow his normally comforting voice sounded empty to Nova, but she didn’t want to let go, not yet. They stayed like that, just holding each other.

“So, what now?” eventually Josh pulled away, looking at her blank face. “I mean, you can stay here for a while I suppose. It’s just” he casted his eyes down, pulling absentmindedly on his sleeve. “I don’t want to live with you.” Nova blurted out, immediately feeling herself blush as she scrambled to undo the damage, looking anywhere but his face. “I mean… It’s just… Sorry, that came out so wrong, but…” Josh just looked up from his fidgeting hands and gave her a small smile, “I feel like that sentence was meant to be followed by the word ‘yet’?” Relieved Nova looked up and returned his now full-spread grin. “Yeah” she breathed. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.”

* * *

The conference room in the Avengers Tower was complete chaos as Steve and Thor walked back in after having delivered Loki back to his now reinforced cell. In one corner Natasha was stitching up a rather nasty cut on Clint’s shoulder. “You weren’t even supposed to be close, just the lookout.” “It wasn’t my fault that piece of glass came flying in my direction”. Coulson and Hill were briefing Fury at the end of the table while Pepper and Tony were in a heated discussion at the other end, Tony being seated on the table while Pepper paced in front of him. “You know what he did to me!” “Yes, Tony, do you hear yourself? He. He did that to you, not them. They didn’t do anything.” “That is exactly my point, they should have done something.” “You cannot leave them like this, they should be compensated, it is not as if you would go bankrupt from a little compassion.” “They are fine, just ask hill, she spoke to them.”

“I have to agree with the Lady Potts” Thor’s loud voice quieted the room and everyone turned to Pepper questioningly. She straightened her back and put the hair fallen from her ponytail back behind her ears. “You destroyed their house, I think the least we can do is some financial compensation.” Steve mixed himself in the discussion, “Why don’t you pay for the rebuild of their entire house? It wasn’t that big.” “Because…” Tony started, “Because Mr Stark here holds a grudge against the family that owns that house.” Fury finished while sliding a manila folder down the table. “The family that owns this house are called the ‘Stanes’” Clint and Steve gasped hearing the all too familiar name, Natasha just raised her eyebrows in surprise and Thor looked around bewildered. “And what has this ‘Stane’-Family done to you, brother Stark?” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose before addressing Jarvis “J, can you give a short background on Obediah Stane?” As he hopped off the table and left the room muttering “piss break”, Jarvis responded with “Certainly, Sir.” and started his story.

When Tony re-entered the room it was dead silent. Thor gave him a friendly meant slap on his shoulder, where Tony had to catch himself with his hands on the table as to not fall face-first into Coulson’s coffee. “Pepper is going to handle the compensations, if necessary. So don’t worry about it.” Steve started. “The house won’t be rebuilt, but I am going to make sure those girls are not going to end up living on the streets.” Pepper finished. “That all sounds fantastic, I have however one more question. HOW THE HELL DID LOKI ESCAPE??” Fury boomed. Everyone flinched except for Coulson and Natasha, Coulson obviously used to this particular way of communicating from Fury and Tony didn’t think he ever saw Natasha impressed by someone shouting. Thor tentatively raised his hand, “That would be my fault Mr Fury” “Just Fury!” Fury interrupted him, but Thor didn’t seem particularly phased by this outburst. “My brother was complaining about boredom so I invited him to spar with me, to make it a fair competition I removed his cuffs so we could have a good match. I didn’t realize until it was too late that he could transport himself from the building.” Fury let out a weary sigh as Steve buried his face in his hands and Pepper hid a smile behind her hand.

“It is already taken care of, triple security, hourly reports, from now on he cannot take a leak without us knowing” Tony looked around the room smugly while Thor looked even more uncomfortable and Steve started shifting in his stance. “Sir, Dr Banner would like to say something” Jarvis notified the room before a picture of the scientist in his lab showed on the screen. Apparently he had been listening to the discussion from a safe distance. “That however won’t solve the problem.”

“Please, Dr Banner, enlighten us” Fury replied sarcastically but Bruce just continued as if not interrupted, “Humans have the innate desire to be free, unconfined, to have liberty. It is not so strange for Loki to have the same desire, especially since with his royal background he is used to more liberties in some areas.” “probably less in others” Clint murmured. “What do you propose we do about that?” Steve asked. “Keep him occupied, make sure he doesn’t get bored.” “Great, so I built him his own earth to conquer and rule and we can all sleep safe and sound?” “Well that would take it a bit far, I was thinking more in the direction of hobbies” Do gods even have hobbies, apart from the obvious sparring that Thor would regularly boast about? “Thor? What does Loki normally do to keep himself occupied?”


	3. The Orange Mailbox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Thor? What does Loki normally do to keep himself occupied?”

All eyes immediately turned to Natasha as she wiped her hands on Clint’s uniform, adding to the red smudges. “Apart from sparring of course” “Or conquering earth” “Getting people on their knees” Natasha shot both Clint and Tony a stern look before turning back to Thor. “My brother was always a man of intellect, acquiring knowledge even before me and the warriors were sparring in the early sunlight.” The god’s face lit up as a fond memory crossed his mind, “He used to say that magic was a power of the mind, so he would train by reading. His chambers in Asgard could easily be mistaken for the library as he would hoard any book or scroll even in languages no-one could read.” “So, books?” “What about e-books?” “He is not getting access to the internet” Fury interrupted the starting discussion between Hill and Potts, “Or Jarvis for that matter” Tony added discontented. “Also, I think none of us would volunteer to teach Loki how to surf the web.” Clint his eyes twinkled as his mouth threatened to form a smile, obviously thinking about the difficulties Thor still had with the human technologies. Thor looked around him helplessly, if none of his Midgardian friends would want to help his brother the problems would only grow bigger. To state that Loki didn’t handle boredom well was an understatement.

“Could you build an intensely secured library in the tower?” Banners voice came over the intercom. “Could, yes, obviously, it is still me we’re talking about, remember” Tony looked at the screen wounded ”it would take some time, but it is possible, whether I want to is a whole other angle.” “I actually wouldn’t mind there being a library added to the common floor” Steve started to add before suddenly Fury got up and gathered his files from the table. “Before I leave, one request: Keep him locked up this time.” His one eye boring into each and every one of the avengers before he whisked around and disappeared in a wave of leather. Coulson and Hill rose to follow, nodding their goodbyes to the group. Pepper clasped her hands together “So we are getting a library.” She smiled before grabbing one of the tablets lying around and starting on the capacity and collection of the library to come, silently listening to the continuing discussion behind her. At some point Tony retrieved the hologram layout of the tower and the location of the library was determined. “It’s going to take a while for me to actually reinforce the room, until then we need someone to deliver the books to Loki, any volunteers?”

* * *

Nova pulled her coat tighter around herself, leaning into Josh who had his arm wrapped around her. She sniffled softly as she watched the casket descend into the ground. The last couple of weeks had gone by in a rush. Firstly there had been the strange power outage, which was a peculiarity on its own. Then there had been the avengers attack on the house. After staying with Josh for two days Mr Whittle had offered her the keys to the attic above the bookstore. A tine hole, making Nova associate herself with Harry Potter and his cupboard under the stairs. Not that she needed much, most of her belongings were gone. Amongst the things she and shield had been able to salvage were a couple of books, a flamingo-shaped watering can, some clothes, the apparently indestructible bamboo toothbrush and a post it note with the groceries list of that week, eggs, milk and someone had added blueberries in an unknown-to-Nova handwriting. Her new home, the attic, had just enough room for a bed, luckily for her the back of the store held a tiny kitchen with a microwave and fridge. Good thing microwave-meals were actually rather tasteful these days.

Rather than that being the end of it, life had thrown in even more misery after just two weeks. Mr Whittle had become very ill, not really a surprise at his age, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. After just a short and severe week of illness the old veteran had passed away. Leaving Nova to deal with his family as she tried to retain her current living quarters. Over the years of working there, she had grown rather fond of the bookstore. With Mr Whittle preference for hard covers or on occasion leather-bound books the store had a very recognizable scent. It reminded her of the stories she read as a child of the hundred-year-war between England and France. How the knights would be riding around in shining arms and the heralds with their recognizable clothing who would write songs and eposes of the heroic deeds of their lords.

Nova gently placed the yellow tulip on the grave as she joined the queue to give her condolences to his family. Only Mr Whittles nephew was there with his wife. He was a business man through and through, he was wearing a black pinstripe suit, making him stand out in the midst of the townsfolk. He took her aside as she shook his hand. “Nova, listen, I’m sorry to drop this on you so suddenly, but we’ve found someone for the store. Do you think you could, you know… clear out before the end of the week?” Nova felt Josh stiffen behind her and warningly squeezed his wrist. “Of course, sir, no problem. And my condolences of course” Nova answered hiding her shaking hands.

As they walked away Josh wrapped his arms around her protectively. “You have to make the call, I know you don’t want to. Hell, I don’t want you to. But I don’t think you’ve got other options left.” He put his hands on either side of her face and gave her a penetrating look. Nova closed her eyes and pressed her cheek in his palm. “Just, I need a moment” She gave his hand a squeeze before turning away and making her way through the gates of the cemetery.

Just a week after the destruction of her house, a woman had come for Nova. Impeccably dressed with her strawberry blonde hair in a ponytail she had presented herself as miss Potts, CEO of Stark Industries. She had looked horribly out of place in the small kitchen of the bookstore, but somehow actually seemed at ease. Nova had offered her tea and she had gladly accepted after wiping the edge of the cup on her handkerchief. She had apologized for the damage done by the Avengers and stated that Stark Industries would be responsible for retribution. Which wasn’t that surprising, to be honest. There were however some technical problems. The Stane family had a debt with Stark Industries, therefore the house that was now gone technically already belonged to the company and any money that would go to Nova would immediately go back. Miss Potts however had found a loophole within the whole Stane affair, an offer that Nova had immediately declined. After that Miss Potts had left, leaving her business card behind. “In case you change your mind, here is my phone number. I’m sorry this is all I could do.” Nova had accepted the card and never heard from the woman again.

Now that she was walking on her own, looking at the fallen leaves on the ground, the scurrying squirrels that ran off as soon as they spotted her and the flock of sparrows that moved from one three to the next every time she got close to them. It was peaceful, but the calmness of the outside didn’t soothe her, not today. Her hand found her phone in her pocket and she took it out, looking at the phone-number listed as Potts-CEO SI. Then resolutely she stuffed her phone back in her coat and stumped on. At the end of the path there was an old civil war bunker, one where she used to play hide-and-seek as a kid. Now it just served as a hiding place as she ran the last mile and hid between the large remnants of walls. There, once alone, she allowed herself to fall apart. Sobs ripped through her throat as she sunk down and wrapped her arms around her knees. Softly rocking back and forth, hiding her face, her forehead resting on her knees. 

It wasn’t that she hated Stark Industries or miss Potts, that made her so unwilling to make the call. No, she actually had to admit that she had admired the young female CEO. Perhaps had even been a little jealous. The woman had radiated confidence, something Nova always felt like she lacked. Truthfully reclining the offer would seem stupid to an outsider, yet she hadn’t doubted her decision once. Now however things were different. Now she would have to, all because of Mr Whittle.

Not that she could blame him really, the man was dead. She could still remember the day Mr Whittle took her under his wing. Her father had gone off again, ‘business’ as he called it, leaving his only daughter behind to entertain herself in the little town. Well, entertained she had been. On her first days she had wandered through the streets, causing mischief. Releasing the butcher’s rabbits in the church, switching out lawn ornaments of people who couldn’t stand each other. Painting every mailbox a very striking orange color. Mr Whittle was the one who put an end to her shenanigans, recognizing the jokes as they were, a means to end the boredom. So he had offered to tell her a story if she helped him repaint his mailbox back to its original shade of army-green.

Mr Whittle was a great storyteller, showing her objects that he had collected over the years and introducing her to the art of written stories. So every day for the rest of the holidays she met up with the man. He told her stories, taught her how to do her everyday chores and in return she helped him in the bookstore. Once she had become old enough he gave her the first payslip, stating that she was now officially his employee. Mr Whittle had become more silent and withdrawn after his son had passed away, and now he himself was gone too.

Thanks to Mr Whittle Nova could take care of herself. Thanks to him she had learned there were ways to escape reality, to escape boredom without provoking the wrath of the town. He had always believed in her. Said she could become anything she wanted. Somehow that statement only ever seemed to apply to those with money. Nova thought about the offer of miss Potts, a job at stark industries would not only look good on your CV, but set up a potential fund for her to go to college. Mr Whittle would have faith she could do it, and so would Josh and Anna. Those last two probably wouldn’t be too happy with her living further away. She imagined the proud look on Mr Whittles face as she would tell him how she went to college and graduated. One last tear made its way down her cheek before she forcefully wiped her face on her sleeves, took a deep breath and pressed the green icon on her phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my work. 
> 
> If you liked it, please leave a comment or kudos.   
> It will help keep me motivated to finish the story. 
> 
> Ainsa


	4. Step 1, Make a to do list

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One last tear made its way down her cheek before she forcefully wiped her face on her sleeves, took a deep breath and pressed the green icon on her phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,   
> I'm so sorry for delivering this chapter one day late.
> 
> I know horrible right? I try to upload every monday, in case you haven't noticed. But wasn't completely happy with the chapter.

Nova gently set her backpack on the bed in the luxurious room. She had to give it to them, even though she was just an employee, they didn’t hold back on the luxury. The walls were white and the floor looked to be actual wood, oak or walnut maybe? There was a large, double bed with high posts and a canopy of light white fabric matching the bed linen. One wall was completely filled with cabinets for storage of clothing and personal items and even showed a few bookshelves. One particularly large door in this wall led to an en-suite bathroom with a shower, toilet, sink and a freestanding bathtub made of an old barrel. In the main room apart from the bed there was a small desk, where a SI laptop, phone and watch were laid out. Lastly there was an old-fashioned reading chair atop a woven white rug looking out the windows. Nova started to unpack her belongings, making the cosy room feel more at home, now that her flamingo-watering can was standing proudly on one of the shelves, next to the few books she still had. Her toothbrush was moved to the bathroom and her clothes were neatly placed in the closet. Lastly she took out a few photos and the post-it note that had survived the avengers attacking her house. She didn’t know why she had kept such an unimportant object but as she stuck the post-it note on the side of the television a sudden feeling of homeliness came over her. 

“I don’t mean to interrupt” the corners of Nova's mouth curled up at the unsure sound of the voice coming from the opening door as she turned to look. “Name’s Chris” “Nova” she answered the young men as she shook his hand. He had red hair and matching freckles all over his face and hands. He approached her until brown eyes peeked curiously over her shoulder. “I’m new, I start tomorrow. '' He bobbed his head, giving her a face-splitting grin, “heard that, you’re the Library person, cleaning crew meself, just a side-job though, to pay off college”. His enthusiasm was catching on Nova as Chris offered her a tour of the tower. “You’ll have to wear the watch though, special tech or so. This Jarvis dude keeps track of where everyone is and opens doors or sends backup, not sure actually what he does. I'm not allowed much y’know, only during working hours.” As Nova stepped over the threshold of her new room a very annoying beep started to ring through the hallway, followed by a voice “Miss Stane, please return to your chambers until your security state has been changed.” Nova looked at the watch annoyed as she stepped back in her room and the beeping stopped. Chris looked at her apologetically, “another time perhaps”, “Sure”. As Chris turned around she could see security personnel running towards her.

* * *

“You did what?” Pepper looked at Tony unfazed. “I hired her, she seemed motivated, knew what she was talking about. And we really needed someone for this job.” Tony still looked at her, holding her upper arms as if unsure whether he wanted to shake her or ground himself. “I know, but why did you have to hire Her?” Pepper looked into his brown eyes, she understood where his fear came from, but this woman was no threat, she was absolutely sure about that. “I wanted to help, you destroyed her house, she lost her job….” The annoying beeping sound of the alarm sounded through the building. “Mr Stark, You told me to inform you the moment miss Stane left her room, she just stepped back inside” Jarvis voice came as the annoying beep ceased. Pepper raised her eyebrow as she stepped back from Tony. “You did what?” She inquired, her lips pressing together in a thin line. “I…. Look Pep…. You need to understand..” Pepper turned around and walked towards the door. “Just fix it Tony, I’m going to escort her to the library. Full clearance that we discussed for the job.” The door closing behind her with a bang, leaving Tony alone in the penthouse. 

* * *

A soft "Wow" escaped from between her lips as she walked in what would from now on be her domain. The library was built as an octagon. One wall, opposite the entrance, was windows only, with a small bench that would allow Nova to sit and look at New York life. The other walls were bookshelves, floor to ceiling. About three and a half metres from the floor was a small balcony that could be reached by either the spiral metal staircase or the entrance on the upper level. The bookcases just continued above for another four metres. There was a classic heavy wooden desk for her to work from, a few comfortable seats and one very comfy looking couch. On the balcony were a few fauteuils and another bench at the window which continued all the way through to the ceiling. The ceiling itself showed a beautiful painting of a starry night with certain stars connected with lines. "I take it is to your liking?'' Miss Potts behind her asked. Nova just nodded, completely in awe of the space around her. "Here is your tablet, you can order any book you like or that is requested." she was handed a shiny new starkpad, "Jarvis can assist you if necessary, just ask him if you need anything." It was then that Nova noticed the empty shelves around her. Apparently they had gathered a lot of books already but there was plenty of space to "widen" the collection. 

Tracing her fingers over the smooth wood of her desk while placing down the tablet, keeping her eyes focused on the bindings of the books closest to her. She heard the door close and the tell-tale sound of high heels walking away. She was alone in what seemed like heaven. As always when she had to start somewhere she started muttering to herself. "step one, make a to do list" as she was focused on the books she didn't notice the holographic screen having popped up above the desk. "Next, determine the current catalogue of the library" the next book came to attention and she pulled it from between its kin. The letter for the King by Tonke Dragt, had been one of her favourites as a child. But there was something familiar about this specific book. She opened it and almost squealed, it wasn’t just a familiar title. This book came from Mr whittles store, this particular book she had read over and over again. He had used it to help her practice her Dutch as the book had been translated to English from that language. There were little notes scribbled on the pages with the Dutch translation if specific words or how the order of them changed between languages. Mr whittles wife had been Dutch as had been Nova’s mom, not that Nova was bilingual, she could only read and write Dutch, pronunciation was something she hadn't been able to practice much. 

"Would you require anything else to be added to your list, miss" the British voice sounded. As hit by lightning Nova turned around and dropped the book from her hands. "I'm sorry?" she now noticed the holographic screen hovering above the desk, scooping up the book she walked to closer and put it on the corner. Immediately a second screen emerged above the book, showing information about the author and a book summary. Carefully she touched her hand to the screen and it changed, showing the first page of the book. A grin spread across her face as she turned to the other screen. There was a file opened, presumably showing every book in the library, they could be categories by author, genre, subject and period. "Miss, I have to inform you that there already are some requests for books not in our possession and some messages for you" the voice informed her, now clearly coming from the desk. She seated herself and started working. So far, things couldn't get much better. 

* * *

Nova had quickly gotten used to her new workplace in the library. Every now and then staff came in looking for specific books but overall she was left to her own devices. Staff ate downstairs and often she was joined by Chris whenever he saw her. He was enthusiastic and reminded her of a male version of Anna. He still lived with his parents on the outer edge of Brooklyn and was collecting antique light bulbs in his free time. Even though he didn’t read much he loved stories and listened to audiobooks regularly. Whenever he was done with his shift he came to the library and talked to Nova about the avengers and their heroic deeds. Just like Anna he had a slight obsession with Captain America, often stating that his grandfather had fought side by side with him during the war. Something that didn’t add quite up in Nova’s mind since his grandfather looked like he was 60 and not 100, but the stories were amusing. 

Josh had not been happy with her move to the big city. He started calling her twice a day, during his lunch-break and in the evening. Nova didn’t mind, he would talk about his day, how Bob and Lisa had gotten together again, and broke up two days later. His sister had apparently gotten a scholarship to a prestigious university on the other side of the continent. He was planning on coming over next weekend, something that Nova had to check with the boss first. For Anna, life had resumed as previously except she had to get used to living with her parents again. She wanted to come over during the coming holidays if possible. 

A knock at the door woke Nova up from a well-deserved nap on the bench in front of the window. Like a cat she had curled herself in the sunlight, gratefully making use of the warmth.  "Come in" she called while stretching her limbs. Chris poked his head apologetically around the door. One of his daily tasks was to clean the library, today however he didn't bring any cleaning tools, just that strangely apprehensive expression as he entered with a note. Nova walked to her desk, feeling her smile falter as his serious expression didn't change. "I'm sorry Nova, this is a note from Thor, direct orders. Please be careful" he pushed the note in her hand and immediately turned and left. She felt her eyebrows rise as she looked after him. Then she decreased the note and started reading. 

_ Dear Miss Stane,  _

_ As you might have heard one of the reasons for the opening of this library was to keep my brother, Loki occupied. Would you be so kind to open an account for him and reserve the following work for him. I believe he will enjoy these works after he will be awakened tonight.  _

"Jarvis, do we have the full works of sir Arthur Conan Doyle still here?" without looking Nova started opening the account in name of Loki of Mischief (all accounts needed a last name). "You'll find the requested book in section D4" Nova sighed "thanks Jar" then she read the rest of the note. 

_ Could you deliver the books to him? I am in New Mexico otherwise I would have done so myself. You will find my brother on the floor named -23. Son of Coul and Lady Potts have assured me you have security clearance for this.  _

_ Yours sincerely,  _

_ Thor Odinson _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feedback is welcome, as are kudos ;)


	5. He oozed angry-danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dear Miss Stane, 
> 
> As you might have heard one of the reasons for the opening of this library was to keep my brother, Loki occupied. Would you be so kind to open an account for him and reserve the following work for him. I believe he will enjoy these works after he will be awakened tonight. 
> 
> Could you deliver the books to him? I am in New Mexico otherwise I would have done so myself. You will find my brother on the floor named -23. Son of Coul and Lady Potts have assured me you have security clearance for this. 
> 
> Yours sincerely,   
> Thor Odinson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Some elements of assault and pain in this chapter!

Nothing could have prepared her for what she would encounter on the high security prison basement floor. There was a security check that would make the strictest airport security feel ashamed. Then there was an observation room with two guards that housed 15 screens, each showing the same bed from different angles. On the bed right now, was a dark-haired figure, hooked on an IV. The woman closest to Nova looked up, "not so impressive in his current state uh?" her colleague, a dark-skinned, probably Jewish since he wore a kippah, focused on one of the screens and zoomed the camera in on the bed. 

The figure looked sickly, the hair was sticking to his face and the skin looked waxen, dark circles under his eyes. She almost didn't recognise the deity she had seen on television about four months ago. "He doesn't look well" she murmured as a response to the expectant look from the woman. "He will stay nice and calm for you when you deliver the book. We have to take the meds away soon and then he will be groggy like hell." "Like you wouldn't be in his place" her colleague responded "I would be long gone with that amount of tranquilizers" "You would be gone with any amount of tranquilizers" Nova decided to ignore the discussion and moved through the heavily guarded door. 

The room she came into smelled as sterile as a hospital or a dentist office perhaps. It actually looked like an oversized hospital observation room. Nova squinted her eyes against the bright light that came from the ceiling lights. After the heavily guarded, probably reinforced steel door, there was a small space of about five feet before the gold infused glass started. The glass ran along three of the four walls of the cell, from floor to ceiling. The back wall of the cell is made up of a solid white wall with a single door. 

Of course Nova knew what the god was capable of, he had killed over two-hundred people in just a few weeks, technically a few days. Installing fear in most of the human race. However, calmly as he lay there, he wasn’t much of a thread anymore. Chris had obviously been scared of the man, as he had probably read the note before handing it to her. He was from New York. He lived close-by and probably saw the attack with his own eyes. Perhaps even lost someone. Now however in his dormant state, the god didn’t look so dangerous anymore. At least not from the safe side of the glass. 

A part of the glass disappeared in the ceiling as she came closer. Immediately the constant beeping sound of the ecg machine became apparent. Somehow, now that she saw the God up close she couldn't help but feel an uneasy shiver running up her spine. Even drugged and sickly-looking he oozed angry-danger into the room, making the hairs on the back of her neck prikle. 

  
  


Unconsciously tiptoeing Nova crossed the room, keeping as much space as she could between herself and the comatose man. She heard the glass panel shut behind her. Putting the book on a shelf that had formed in the back wall and threaded her way back to the door. A soft rustle of blankets was the only thing warning Nova before all the air left her lungs and she was pressed face-first into the glass-wall. 

A body was pressed into hers, using her as a shield against the glass. One hand on the back of her neck keeping her pressed against the wall as the other searched her clothes. Nova froze up as she felt the hand nearing her hips and a soft whimper escaped as her mind went into a state of panic. Her assailant seemed to notice as his hand paused. 

“How foolish of you to come here, all on your own” a hoarse voice spoke in her ear as the free hand started moving again, grabbing both her wrists and twisting them on her back. Nova felt tears prickle in the corners of her eyes as she hopelessly looked at the camera on the other side of the glass barrier. “Don’t worry little girl, they’re on their way.” the voice whispered as he had followed her glance. “Too late, of course” 

Nova scoffed and started tugging on her arms, trying to free herself, there was no wriggle room. He had her in an iron grip. “What was that?” She had made a sound as if to speak, moving her mouth. But without enough air it had been futile. The hand on her neck pulled back slightly as the man put her wrists above her head and spinned her around before pressing his hand back on her neck. Not hard enough to cut of her air supply, but enough to make her bruise. 

“I’m not little” was all she could exclaim before the look in his eyes stopped her. They were bright blue, almost unnaturally so. They showed a strange mixture of disinterest and anger. Wrinkles forming in the corners, matching his malicious grin as he looked her body up and down appreciatively. Nova felt sick starting to collect at the back of her mouth but didn’t dare to move. /Oh holy father, God, Lucifer, Odin, Zeus, anybody please help!/

“LOKI STOP THIS MADNESS!” a deep voice thundered through the speakers. The man’s eyes snapped closed and he crashed forward into Nova, seemingly losing all control of his body. His hand slid off her neck and touched the glass. With a loud wail he pulled back cradling his now blistered fingers close to his chest as he fell to the floor. 

Nova remained, frozen, stuck to the glass that didn’t hurt her, but obviously had burned the man now sitting in front of her. She studied him. His long, toned physique, or perhaps once toned. He looked thin, too thin for her liking. His old, forest green pyjamas were frayed at the cuffs. His long, uncombed hair hid his face from her as he too stopped moving, sensing her eyes on him. 

“Leave” a whisper almost too faint to hear. “What?” Her gaze remained on the crouching figure in front of her. His hand already looked better, the blisters were almost gone now, in just a few minutes. “I require you to leave” The answer sounded strained, as if it cost him a lot of energy just to produce those words. 

Nova didn’t feel like she was talking to the same person who had attacked her. Even though there was no-one else in the room. “I can't m-” The face snapped up and looked at her incredulously making her suck in a breath, “-move” She finished. The blue in his eyes was less pronounced, as a look of understanding came over him. “My apologies…” He stared at her as if wanting to say more, instead of the anger and disinterest from before there was now pain in his eyes. 

That look however was all Nova needed to break free, as she collapsed, sliding her back along the glass wall until she was seated on the floor. Absentmindedly she brought her hand to her throat, feeling the pain as she pressed the bruises that would show tomorrow. “Please leave” as she started touching her neck his face turned away again. 

“Miss, we are so sorry, we have regained control over the system. Please move to the exit.” The voice of the male security guard sounded over the speakers as the door to the control room opened. Standing there was Captain America with a stern expression, followed by Thor who looked concerned back and forth between the two figures in the enclosure. 

Nova froze as the door opened and sensed Loki do the same. The two avengers walked through the newly made opening in the glass. “Miss, are you alright?” Captain America stood before her, offering her his hand to help her up. As she didn’t respond he crouched and lifted her with a soft grunt in his arms. From the corner of her eyes she saw Thor help a sputtering Loki back in the bed. He looked even paler now as his eyes darted back to her, a pained look crossing his face before he let himself fall back on the bed.

* * *

Chris had already gone home when she had arrived back at the staff quarters. After a quick checkup at the medical bay. She was lucky, one of the few humans who had escaped Loki with no more than a few bruises. She left for the cafetaria, stacking some food on her plate she left for her room, needing the quiet over the bustling crowd. Where she knew people would stare and whisper, as news travelled fast in the tower. As she looked over the still bustling city beneath her, the many people in the streets, the flashing lights of Times Square, the vast darkness of Central Park. She felt strange, remembering the blue-ness of Loki's eyes. How he had looked her over, just thinking about it made her want to throw up. But also the hurt she had seen as he had fallen back, he must have been in so much pain. Apparently the drugs hadn’t done much for him. 

It took four rings for Josh to pick up the phone. “Nova, are you alright? Is everything okay?” He sounded tired but there was a sharp edge of concern in his voice. “Yes, yes, i’m fine Josh, really. Just…. I wanted to hear your voice. Been a long day.” He chuckled “You can say that, lost track of time again sweet-cheeks?” Bewildered Nova looked at her watch, 2:46pm, shit, he had been asleep. “I’m sorry Josh, I didn’t check the time. I…” Was she really going to keep him awake? “I just needed to talk to someone” her voice quavered as she fought to keep back the tears. “It’s okey sweet, I’m awake now anyway. Talk to me” 

She talked, for what felt like hours. About the note Chris had brought in, the security, the hospital like cell. As she came to the attack her voice started trembling and one of the tears she had kept at bay started its path down her cheek. Josh had kept quiet, allowing her to tell the story, but as he heard her sobs he couldn’t help himself. “Did he touch you? Nova? Did he hurt you? The bastard, I'll kill him for that, I swear.” This made Nova giggle, Josh had never really shown his possessive or protective side, believing that his girl was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and if not, she would call him. 

“It’s just bruises really, I’ll be fine.” “So he did hurt you, what was his name again? Promise me you’re not going to see him again.” Nova just sighed, “I’ll try. It’s just, I don’t think he was… something was off about him.” “Really Nova, something was off?” Josh’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, “He is the maniac who attacked New York with an alien army, of course something is off!” “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Nova balled her hand into a fist. “I cannot pinpoint it, but something happened and he stopped, he told me to leave…” Josh let out his breath with a loud huff, “ Please noov, stop defending him. I’m coming over this weekend, yeah? Can you stay safe for me till then?” Nova nodded, looking outside over the city again. She didn’t expect Loki outside of his cell anytime soon, especially not after what happened today. “Nova, are you still there?” Josh’s voice came through the phone. “Yes, yes, I'll keep safe. Sorry to wake you up, just, go back to sleep, I'll… Let's talk tomorrow.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you liked it, consider leaving kudos and/or comments!


	6. Let's go back, I've tortured you long enough.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, I'll keep safe. Sorry to wake you up, just, go back to sleep, I'll… Let's talk tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! I've tried my hand at some smut.   
> It will be indicated in case you want to skip over it or it is just not your thing.

As expected Nova’s adventures with Loki were the talk of the town for the rest of the week. In the cafeteria she was asked a lot of questions, mostly by people she had never met before. Chris had given her a hug, looking up at her as he had prodded her for all the details.  Captain America had shown up, a day after the events, to make sure she was alright. A note from Tony Stark had stated she was now enlisted in mandatory self-defense classes every-day, the whole day, till the end of the week. So by the time Josh’s taxi arrived at the tower she was completely worn out and didn’t notice him coming into her suite. 

"What a lovely picture, sprawled so elegantly on the bed, and what a bed! I feel like James Bond walking in on his bond girl still tangled naked in the sheets of his hotel room" gently he set his bag on the floor and stalked towards the bed. "I'm not naked nor tangled in the sheets" "Darling, you're ruining my fantasy" he crawled atop her on the bed, kissing his way along her jaw. Nova reacted by lifting her head, giving him better access to his target, that pulse point that made her shiver once he sucked on it. "I've missed you" He trailed his hands down her sides and squeezed teasingly on her waist. With a hard bang their heads collided as Nova writhed to get away. “Ow, Josh, stop, Stop!” She pushed him off her, groaning from the stain in her muscles as she doubled over in pain. Josh rolled away and sat up, looking worried. His hands fluttering helplessly in the air around her as if afraid to touch her. “I'm so sorry, I thought it was only your neck…” His eyes visibly darkened as he looked at the fading bruises. “It is… actually it was..” She let herself fall backwards on the bed again, pulling him along to cuddle up. 

Very gently he put his arms around her. “So why are you hurt now? Fell off the stairs in the library?” He nuzzled her collarbone, his eyes still fixated on her neck making her feel self conscious about the marks. She lifted his chin up and snuggled down so they were at eye level. “The boss put me in mandatory self-defense classes this week… I’ve discovered muscles in places I didn't know I had them….” He chuckled as she whined on “Everything hurts…” “I’m glad he did though, at least now you’ll know how to defend yourself if that creep ever comes near you again.” He looked sternly at her, tracing circles on her stomach with his hand. “He is not a creep you know.” The hand stopped, “Stop defending him. He is a creep until proven otherwise. At least now, next time he tries something you can kick the crap out of him.” She interlinked their fingers as she looked at the soft fabric above her bed. “He’s a god you know? No matter how hard I train…. I don't believe I can beat him.” She felt him tense as she quickly resumed: “Captain America came by, I won't have to go near Loki again soon. So please don’t worry, yeah?” He replied by kissing her cheek. 

* * *

Josh was staying for the weekend and Nova had scheduled the library opening-times accordingly. Meaning the library was closed on Saturday and opened only Sunday-morning before she would bring Josh to the bus station for his ride back home. Which meant that they had the entire Saturday to themselves. A weak sun poked from fluffy clouds in a sky that showed signs of blue as they walked hand in hand through central park. It wasn’t that Josh had never been to New York, living in the same state ensured school field trips to the natural history museum and Christmas shopping in the big apple. Nova wrapped her coat tighter around herself. She hadn’t realized it would be this cold already in late September. Josh put his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. 

"Let's go somewhere inside and warm, have a cup of hot cocoa, huh?" Nova turned around and put her hands in his pockets, giving him a peck on his lips. "Would you mind going to a museum with me?" His smile faltered ever so slightly before he composed himself, as she continued "I checked, it reopened a few days ago and it's really close." pulling on his coat she started dragging him along. "wow, you've really become stronger you know!" she gave him a harder pull in response "I'm coming, I'm coming." he laughed as he let himself be dragged through the park. 

Nova loved the abstract paintings but fell in love with the photography exhibition. Which showed photos of everyday objects in the corner of a white room. The photos were very interesting as they removed the context from the items. A lonely pen could be used for so much more than office work. A rubber duck doesn't necessarily belong in a bath and a pepper grinder looked very lonely without the salt. She wandered around the exhibition, probably having lost Josh at another part of the museum. As she turned around to go to the next room she spotted him. 

He sat on a bench close to the door, his eyes looking at her dreamily as a soft smile played with the corners of his mouth. As quietly as he sat there, the light shining on his dark hair, she felt as if she fell in love all over again. The feeling mixed with a twinge of guilt and sadness which she quickly shook off. She walked over, extending her hand. He held it and pressed it against his cheek, closing his eyes with a sigh of bliss. "Let's go back, I've tortured you long enough." his eyes opened, looking up at her, "getting to watch you enjoy yourself is never a torture" she smiled back, pulling him on his feet, "maybe, if you give me a massage, we can do much more than cuddling" she whispered with a wink before turning around an making her way towards the exit. 

* * *

**Smut!!!! Smutty!!!! Smuttier!!!**

Nova couldn't hold back the moan as Josh worked his expert fingers on the last knotted muscle in her lower back. She was like putty in his hands, feeling as if she had melted. Appreciating her toned body his hands roamed lower, grabbing a handful of her bum as he lowered himself to straddle her knees. Light open-mouthed kisses traveled along her spine before he blew teasingly over her back dimples. 

"hmm" "ya like that baby?" a soft hum was the answer as one of his hands started to dip between her cheeks. He moved lower, parting her legs with his knees so he could settle between them. Lifting her hips to stuff a pillow underneath before resuming his caressing of her lower back and butt. 

A soft bite in her ass cheek made her yelp and arch her back. "so sweet" he muttered, his breath tickling the now sensitive spot. She angled her hips, willing him to hurry up and give her what she wanted. He chuckled as his fingers slid over her folds and she made a soft whiny noise. 

He started kissing her cheeks again, humming appreciatively as his fingers repeated their earlier motion, too soft for her to get any real pleasure, but the promise was there. The anticipation made her slicken. He moved lower, between her legs so he could use his tongue for the same goal as his fingers. 

Nova's breath hitched as he started to use his tongue, teasing her clit before dipping the tip in her entrance. A finger followed and soon the second as more and more impatient sounds came from Nova's lips. She bucked her hips against his face which made him pull back and steady her. He shushed her before getting up and the tell-tale sound of a condom package being opened drove a new wave of slick from her. 

As he slowly pushed in Nova released the breath she had been holding, wriggling her hand under her stomach to play with her clit. "ah, so good" Josh moaned before setting a fast pace. Nova played with herself as he pushed into her repeatedly, keeping a steady rhythm. The sounds of flesh slapping together mixed with Josh’s moans and Nova's soft ah's sounded in her room. 

Josh let himself drape over her back, picking up his rhythm again. He kissed her shoulder blades, leaving hickeys and growling possessively as he got closer to her neck. His trusts started faltering and Nova applied a bit more pressure to herself. Falling over the edge as she felt Josh’s hips stutter and they both came with a drawn out groan. 

**End of Smut!!!! Smutty!!!! Smuttier!!!**

* * *

Sunday in the library was generally very quiet. Technically every day in the library was quiet as there were only a few employees that preferred paper books over the digital kind. However, since the library had been closed on Saturday, a few people came by to drop off and collect. Josh had settled himself on one of the couches with a tablet and was watching the replay of the baseball match he missed last night as Nova handled her visitors. 

Chris came by to clean the library, but because Sunday was his usual day off Nova suspected he came to meet Josh. The contrast between the two was quite striking but they had hit it off immediately when they had found their mutual love for baseball. Now that Chris had gone home and the last people started to leave the library Nova looked over at Josh. The guilty nagging was back in the back of her head. She loved that boy, actually he was a man now, so why did she feel guilty? Last night had been amazing as always with Josh, and the way he had looked at her in the museum. The feeling in the museum, she had fallen in love, again. So she had fallen out of love? She must have… 

The opening door snapped her out of her thoughts. Josh looked up from his game before closing the tablet and turning his attention to the new arrivee. Nova looked at the immensely broad man in the doorway. "Thor, welcome, how can I help you?" Nova stood up from behind her desk, waving her hand at Josh in a gesture to calm him down. 

"Lady Nova, I come to you to apologize for my brother's behavior." Even though Nova could tell he was trying to speak gently his voice resounded through the high room. Nova smiled at his formal speech as she took his hand. "It's okay-" "No it's not." Josh interrupted her from his couch. He sat tense, ready to jump at the first sign of danger. "Your brother is a maniac who attacked, not only New York, but also my girl." There it was again, that hint of possessiveness she wasn’t used to seeing in Josh’s eyes. Thor looked irritated as he settled his eyes on Josh. 

"I'm sure Thor is here with an explanation for his brothers behavior, so we can prevent this from happening again." she shot a sharp look at Josh in order to shut him up before turning back to Thor expectantly. The god of thunder looked cornered as he rubbed his neck and took a step back.  "My brother has been through a lot, family affairs, some of them by my fault." he looked apologetically at Nova before shoving the book he had been holding in her hands. "Loki would like to thank you sincerely for the book and would like something new to read, what would you recommend?" Nova accepted the book and moved back behind her desk.  Both Josh and Thor seemed visibly calmer now that the argument had been avoided. Even though Josh still scolded quietly to himself. Jarvis recommended a book from Clive Cussler as Loki's next read and Nova went to retrieve it from the upper landing. Her relief was only for a short time as she heard Josh start again. 

"So, I presume from now on Loki will not be let anywhere near Nova?" "On the contrary, it is Nova's task to help keep my brother entertained." Josh's voice sounded dangerously innocent as he replied, "Oh, and how will you guarantee her safety?" the tone made Nova look down from her ladder. Josh and Thor stood too close together, great just what she needed, a pissing contest. “Loki has promised me he is no longer a threat to Lady Nova and will retain himself from her company if he believes he might bring her harm.” It sounded ridiculous but Thor was convinced he was reasonable enough. From the tension in his stance Nova could see that he did not like the way Josh questioned his judgement. “I don’t trust ‘your brother’ to make that judgement, so make sure he stays away!” Josh growled. 

Nova decided she had enough. With a bit of pain she dropped the book she had retrieved over the railing, making it land with a bang on the floor. “That's enough” she said, walking down the spiraling staircase. “First of all, I know you’re just looking out for me” she pulled Josh back by his arm and turned to stand between the men, looking at her boyfriend. “But I still make my own decisions as to who gets to be near me, okay?” Josh gave her a short nod, not looking away from Thor. Nova picked up the book from the floor and walked to her desk. As she was filing in the digital forms for Loki she addressed Thor. “I believe you to be a man of your word, your brother however…uhm” She looked up at him, trying to stop her voice from wavering as she felt nervous just thinking about the other deity, “Let’s just say the nickname God of mischief doesn’t do wonders for his credibility….” Thor shifted uneasily, “I presume that necessary precautions will be taken if he gets to close.” Thor nodded, “Yes of course, the man of iron has Jarvis monitor and restrain his magic at all times” “Then he can probably make an extra measure to contain Loki when he misbehaves?” Thor just looked uneasily, obviously not happy with the way this was going. To everyone's relief Jarvis came to the rescue, “Mister Stark has indeed built in a safety measure regarding the proximity of Loki to Miss Nova” With that Nova handed the book over to Thor and he left after a quick goodbye. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you enjoyed this chapter?  
> Don't forget to leave Kudos and/or comments!  
> Ainsa


	7. Are you sure about that?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter everyone! 
> 
> Where we left off:  
> To everyone's relief Jarvis came to the rescue, “Mister Stark has indeed built in a safety measure regarding the proximity of Loki to Miss Nova” With that Nova handed the book over to Thor and he left after a quick goodbye.

It took a few weeks for things to go back to normal for Nova. Her training was now only twice a week to upkeep her skills and the attention also tuned down. Josh still visited every other weekend if he could and he was very happy that Thor still delivered Loki's books. Loki who was now transferred to Thor's floor, hadn't shown his face anywhere outside of his room. Or at least that was the cleaners gossip Nova received through Chris. Apparently the cleaners were not allowed in the room either, the only one in contact with Loki therefore was Thor. So once every two days at exactly 10:00 the god would come to the library to exchange Loki's latest read. 

After the confrontation between Josh and Thor, Nova found it difficult to engage in small talk with the latter. Luckily Thor was understanding and after just a few visits he started telling her stories when she went in search of a book. Stories of Asgard and its myths, adventure tales of himself and the warriors three and occasionally his brother. He would talk about his exile to earth, how he had fallen for the female scientist who was now building something called ‘a bifrost’ in New Mexico. Now that the bifrost neared completion he was travelling back and forth all the time. 

Last night they had celebrated her and Chris’s birthdays. Her friend was now officially in his twenties. Tony Stark had graciously supplied a room and catering for the party, standard for every employee in the tower. Nova had already celebrated her birthday the weekend before with Josh and was not much of a party goer herself. However she had enjoyed the party more than expected, staying up late in a discussion with some of Chris's high school friends about the Harry Potter series. So now she was hungover curled up on one of the couches in the library, regretting the last shot of apfelkorn she had had last night. She actually had wanted to stay in bed that morning but Thor was bound to come by today. She made herself comfortable on the couch, a blanket and lots of pillows, wearing her raccoon onesie, a gift she had gotten last night from Chris.

* * *

Loki groaned inwardly at the message Thor had left for him with the ceiling voice. The oaf had stayed in New Mexico with his beloved mortal, meaning Loki had to leave his chambers to gather food himself. Picking an apple from the bowl in the kitchen Loki made his way back to his domain. Other than the day they had brought him to this floor he hadn't left his room. He still felt weak from the venom they had put in his system. The awful feeling had gotten worse now that his magic was restrained. Unconsciously he scratched underneath the contraptions Stark had put around his wrists. At least he was further away from the scepter that controlled him. Fighting the commands it still implanted in his mind caused fierce strikes of migraine but at least he was in control. / _ Are you sure about that? _ / the voice sounded tauntingly in this mind. He consciously pushed away the dark voice. 

Now that he was actually out and alone in the apartment, his curiosity played up and he started exploring the rest of Thor's floors. Strangely enough almost all doors opened before him as he got closer. Just two remained shut, the doors of the elevator, obviously to stop him from escaping. The other door however was more interesting to him, as Loki didn’t feel like escaping from the ashes to the fire. He might not actually want to be stuck in Stark’s tower, however he was treated better than most prisoners on either Asgard or / _ You know what will happen once he finds you and you don’t hold up your end of the bargain _ / again pushing away the dark voice, now sounding threateningly at the back of his mind. The other door was heavy as Loki pushed against it, obviously reinforced. With a soft creak it started opening and Loki felt his heart rate spike. Just like when he was a young boy, breaking into Odin’s treasure vaults. As silently as possible he moved the door ajar. Peeking between the crack of the door he sucked in a breath, letting it whistle between his teeth. 

Books, hundreds of them! Why had Thor kept this treasure from him? Even that simpleton should have known Loki well enough to know he would treasure such a room. As he further opened the door he noticed the figure curled up on the couch. He stilled as he recognized the tall frame and fierce curly hair. This was the young woman he had assaulted that day in his cell. / _ She looks lovely, such an easy target, so fragile, so easy to break, but utterly delicious _ / Again he pushed away the dark memories, a carnal feeling trying to ingrain in his body, now paired with the start of his next headache. He fixed his gaze on the girl, she hadn’t reacted to him coming in as he stood silently leaning against the door frame. He scanned the room, it looked like any old library, tall shelves reaching the ceiling. It reminded him of his old chambers in Asgard where he would hoard books from the library to educate himself. 

He focused on the figure on the couch again. With his magic numbed he couldn’t read her as he normally would. She seemed asleep, perhaps best to let her undisturbed then. As he turned around silently, the young woman moved and a sleepy voice called out. “Jar, what time is it?” Loki froze, hearing the familiar voice as the ceiling replied “It is two PM miss Nova, and it seems-” “It seems Thor is late” the female interrupted him. “Thor has remained in New Mexico to help Miss Foster with the building project” The girl nodded, then realizing this was a bad idea put her hands on her head as she groaned. Loki felt the spike of pain through his magic, still reaching out to her and couldn’t hold down the corners of his mouth. One of the first incantations he had thought himself was to cure hangovers. 

“I can assist with that” Loki offered, turning back around slowly, plastering a friendly smile on his face. “As I tried to inform you before, you have a visitor” the ceiling now sounded annoyed as the woman stood up so quickly she immediately fell down and started retching up the contents of her apparently empty stomach. Loki quickly took a few steps in her direction and held his hands as close to her head as he could without touching her. She froze, unable to move and unable to stop him. / _ So close, do it, I know you want to _ / Ignoring the voice, overpowering it with his guilt, he let the energy move to his hands as he cast a quick spell to subside the effects of her hangover. He ignored the electric shocks his wristbands gave of as he used his powers to help the girl. Small magic uses were allowed, these small shocks were just a warning. 

As her symptoms lessened she raised her head, gently brushing her hair against his hand by accident. This small touch however was enough for Jarvis to activate the security protocol as Loki felt the electric shocks increase and the needles enter his skin. Then everything went blank. 

* * *

Very slowly Nova rose from her kneeling position as she heard and saw Loki fall down. Her headache was now gone, something she was very grateful for. But seeing the twitching unconscious figure of the god laying on the floor next to her didn’t do her sensitive stomach any good. Jarvis had sounded the alarm and a shield agent, a small man with red hair and freckles walked in. He was armed with something that looked like a giant metal gargoyle that emitted a soft orange light and as he walked in Loki stopped twitching. 

He walked over to Nova and looked at her, he wore the same expression Chris had whenever he was worried. “Are you alright missy?” Nova nodded, “It’s okay, you’re safe now, I’m Chris's dad” of course, that's what she recognized him from. She shook his outstretched hand, “I’m Nova” he smiled, “I know, Happy Birthday” he gave her a wink before turning to the figure on the floor. 

As he stepped closer he nudged the god with the toes of his boot. No reaction came so he repeated it harsher, so harsh in fact that Nova was convinced it would leave a broken shoulder had he been human. Now it was probably just a bruise. “Not so great now anymore huh? You piece of shit!” With one last kick to the ribs he turned back to Nova. “He’ll be out for a while, you should go.” 

Nova felt the anger rise up in her. She may not like Loki and yes he had attacked her before. But no-one, no-one deserved to be beaten up while unable to defend themselves. She looked at Chris’s dad and pointed at the door. “There’s the door, please leave my library, I’ll handle it from here.” It felt immensely empowering being able to send people away from her library. The man looked at her surprised but seemed convinced by the angry and determined look on her face. He set the gargoyle-gun on her desk before walking to the door. “If he plays up, just point the open end at him and push the button.” He said before closing the door behind him. 

Great, absolutely fantastic, what had she gotten herself into now? She tiptoed around the still figure on her floor, he looked comfortable enough. Peaceful, asleep. Which meant nothing as she had learned before. Only the thought of the chilly and bleak hospital like prison gave her goosebumps. It must have been even more traumatizing for him, waking up there, not knowing how he got there or who she was. She spread her blanket over him before walking to her desk. Putting the heavy piece of furniture between herself and the figure on the floor. 

* * *

It didn't take long for Loki to wake up. The familiar smell of books registering in his brain. His whole body hurt, but the pain was nothing compared to his headache. As if Thor had struck him with mjølnir, again. Groaning he reached for his head, noticing the soft, fluffy fur wrapped around his hands. He froze, not knowing how to react, not knowing where he was or why he was covered in fur. Not trusting his senses he tried to search his memories. Then it came back. The human girl, the searing pain of the electric device, the needles, nothing. 

That was odd. Ever since he came out of the void, norns even before that, his unconscious mind was terrorized by nightmares. Yet he couldn't remember any from the last. How long was he out? He focused again, hearing the soft scribble of a pen on paper, the whooshing sound of a breathing, the rhythmic thumping of a heartbeat, the soft rustle of fabric against fabric and hair brushing across paper. There was one other person in the room with him, from the speed of the heart rate and breath he assumed a human. From the length of the hair probably female. Then there was that smell, books, just like his old room on Asgard, he was in the library. 

He opened his eyes and the scribbling stopped, the heartbeat sped up and the breathing stopped. He sat up and saw how she dropped the pen as she looked at him and hesitantly reached for the monstrosity of a gun on the side of her desk. He raised his hands, knowing the damage that thing could do, not only to him, but the heat would destroy her books. "I mean no harm" the hand stopped, she still looked at him, now frozen. She seemed mute, fear in her eyes, he had done that, he had made her into that. "Please breathe" she gulped in air as he said it, following orders, just doing whatever was needed to survive. He recognized it with a sad feeling mixed with guilt. "I will take my leave, please could you put the next book for me by the door tomorrow morning?" he rose, folding the blanket neatly and putting it on the couch, feeling her eyes burning in the back of her head. She rose too, closing the book around a piece of paper and sliding it forward on her desk. She stepped back as he reached out to pick up the book on his way to the door. "thank you" just as he was about to close the door he heard a "you're welcome" so softly he wasn't sure he hadn't imagined it as the door closed behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading,  
> If you enjoyed it,   
> please leave kudos or a comment to motivate a writer!
> 
> Ainsa


	8. I know you’re a coward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So... The second encounter between Loki and Nova didn't go very well either... As you might have noticed I have added the Iron Man 3 tag to the story. Which will be a side plot to my story, causing some very interesting developments to happen in the avengers tower and perhaps even help Nova to face her fear of a certain mischievous Norse deity....
> 
> If you are wondering where this story is going, I have a pretty awesome plot set up, but before we can get to that there needs to be some sort of mutual understanding and respect and no more fear between Loki and Nova. How that's going to happen? Find out in the next chapter. ;)

The book lay unopened on the table, right where he had left it as he walked past again, running his fingers over the cover. It was called Valhalla Rising, a dark cover with contrasting white writing showing the title and the author. In between the writing, in the middle was the outline of what the humans presumed to be a viking boat with a background of stalactites in a cave. Inside the book, sticking out between the first pages was a small note, green and with blue fountain pen writing visible just where it touched the pages of the book. His fingers lingered there, as if unsure whether to open and read or leave it untouched, again. 

His other hand ghosted over his ribs, not broken but badly bruised and slow healing because of his seidr being restrained. By now it was completely healed, just a lingering memory. He couldn’t understand how or why she had mauled him like that only to act scared once he had woken up. / _ she just expected you to retaliate _ / he hadn’t even noticed the pain at the time. Or had he? Maybe it just registered in his subconscious, after all, he was used to waking up with pain. / _ you did that to yourself, fulfill your purpose and you will be free _ / he scoffed at the voice in his head. That was not the type of free he still desired. He had chased it once, the moment he had let go. It hadn’t solved anything, actually made things worse. “No thank you” 

He doubled over as his head filled with a new wave of pain. The voice in his head didn’t like to be questioned. Or spoken to, it just needed him to obey. His body was weak, already desiccated before he even put his feet on the earth. Now with Stark’s tech limiting his seidr, his healing process was slowed down. Not only that but the venomous substance they injected him with to sedate him also had the same side effect. His body had been so busy getting rid of the substance that it took over a week to heal the bruises, something which at his full strength should take no more than a couple of hours at most. 

He had hoped that maybe there would be someone here he could befriend. A trivial human being he could lure into a friendship or relationship. It would make his life so much less dull and perhaps even give him a chance to escape. The girl from the library was the only human close to him. A chance he had already forfeited before he became aware. He remembered their every encounter. The first time she had visited his cell, just to deliver a book. He couldn’t blame her for being scared of him after that first confrontation. He hadn’t exactly behaved himself. He hadn’t exactly been in control. At least that time it didn’t take the full green monster treatment to snap him out of it. 

He had seen her, her survivor's instinct, she was scared of him. No not scared, terrified. So terrified she couldn’t move or even breathe in his presence. She had shown interest, her eyes scanning him. Of course he had noticed as a prince he was used to attention from crowds, at least in his older memories. His more recent ones were covered in darkness, blue light, heat and drought. The constant presence of a voice in his mind and the accompanying pain. Somehow waking up painlessly in the library, at least not in conscious pain. / _ not yet in conscious pain _ / it had been somewhat alarming after all this time. An event that had not yet repeated itself. Something that the voice loved to remind him of. He let himself fall backwards, spread out on the bed, as his migraine increased. His head resting on the soft fluffy pillows. Right now the void and nothingness seemed increasingly welcome. 

* * *

“American forces are doing everything they can to catch the so-called ‘Mandarin’ terrorizing our citizens. If you have any concerns regarding the bombings or spot anything peculiar please contact your local police force.” With a sigh Nova turned off the TV in her room. The last attack had been in august, before her life had taken this strange turn. She couldn’t understand why the government hadn’t asked Tony Stark for help. After all with the cyber attacks and everything and his knowledge of weaponry he could be very helpful. On the other hand, Stark was known for doing his own thing and taking his own credit. With the whole fight with Loki and the alien army which was won by the avengers, not by the US army, something Stark loved to remind them of, the people had lost part of their trust in the armed forces. 

Also, Tony Stark had relocated himself to his mansion in Malibu, leaving Jarvis and Shield to communicate with the tower's inhabitants. Clint Barton, after being declared healthy had moved back to god knows where. Nova cocked her head to the side, probably Fury knows, she pondered. Black Widow and Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America had moved closer to shield headquarters in Washington DC and thus Thor remained the only avenger officially living in the tower. Officially, because for a couple of weeks he hadn’t been anywhere near the tower, using his time on earth to spend as much as possible in the presence of his love interest, Jane Foster. Jane Foster who was now in New Mexico working on rebuilding the intergalactic travel bridge from earth’s side. Nova smiled as she watched the black television screen. A little voice inside her head told her that Thor had no intent whatsoever to finish the bi-frost asap. Perhaps he was just there to stall the progress. 

“Miss Nova, Mr. Stark is on national television” She looked at the screen, now turning itself on to show Tony Stark standing outside a hospital in California, she assumed. Speaking into a crappy camera that was probably from a phone. “Here is a little holiday greeting I've been wanting to send to the Mandarin, I just didn’t know how to phrase it until now. My name is Tony Stark and I’m not afraid of you. I know you’re a coward. So I’ve decided that you’ve just died, pal. I’m gonna come get the body. There’s no politics here. It's just good old-fashioned revenge. There’s no pentagon, it’s just you and me. And on the off-chance you’re a man, here’s my home address. 10880 Malibu Point 90265. I’ll leave the door unlocked.” As the message continued Nova felt her eyebrows rise and her mouth open. Had he gone crazy? 

“Message from Miss Potts” and Miss Potts her voice sounded through the system seconds later: “To all employees and tower inhabitants, as you may have realized from the news, we are at war. No army this time, no aliens, terrorists. We are sure that Iron Man can handle all dangers but out of precaution we have some adaptations to ensure everyone's safety. All non-vital personnel are ordered to go home and stay home if possible until this business is finished or until after the holidays. Starting at six p.m. this evening the tower will be on lock-down until further notice. End of message.”

That is when all hell broke loose in the tower. At least so it seemed. Josh after having seen the news called at the same moment that Chris and Elisicia barged in. Elisicia was an elderly woman from the kitchen crew who would occasionally bring Nova dinner if she forgot and who acted like the grandma to all teenagers and twenty-somethings living in the tower. “My dad says each floor will be locked on it’s own. All employee floors will be locked except the ground and first floor.” 

Since Chris’s dad was part of security he always knew this kind of info. Nova looked at him, forgetting the vibrating phone in her hand as he continued. “All vital personnel will be moved to the ground floor, the rest of us must leave the tower.” Nova looked at Elisicia, the elderly woman having her hands folded before her as if in prayer. She always had an air of calmness about her, as if she had already seen everything, nothing could phase her. 

“Where are you going to go?” Nova asked the both of them. Not surprisingly Chris answered just as Elisicia opened her mouth “My parents place, dad’s staying here, as security.” Elisicia nodded as if she already knew this. “My niece has a house not far from here, on Staten Island, I can stay with her for a few weeks, if it takes longer I will have to look for an apartment to rent.” 

“How ‘bout you?” Chris looked at her expectantly. “I don’t know, I’m not really vital personnel, am I?” “Take your time Sweety, finish things up in the library today, I’ll come check on you before we have to leave” Elisicia grabbed hold of Chris’s arm before guiding him outside. 

How about me? That was a question that stayed in Nova’s mind for the remainder of the day. She forgot her phone, forgot everything else as she went to the library. Losing herself in the work. Around noon she started to get really hungry, nibbling on the cookies that she had hoarded in the drawers of her desk. Then she looked at her schedule. The schedule was cleared except for one thing. Thor had left her a message, obviously hearing about the tower lock-down. 

_ Dear Miss Nova, _

_ Since you will not be in the tower for the coming weeks, could you perhaps bring my brother some reading material for the foreseeable future? I haven’t heard from him in a while but according to the computer voice he hasn’t done anything unintended.  _

_ Stay Safe, _

_ Thor _

She hadn’t heard from Loki in a couple of weeks now. Not that that's anything out of the ordinary. But she was pretty sure that Thor hadn’t come by to deliver books to his brother. She had put some books at the corner by the door to their floor, but those also seemed untouched. “How many books will Loki need to bridge the gap until the end of the holidays?” “That is approximately twenty days Miss, with Loki’s average of three days per book I would advise to bring a minimum of seven books.”

The rest of the day went by with a breeze. She emailed several people that the lending time for their books would be prolonged until after the lock-down. The same was for those who still had a late payment, that could wait until life was back to normal. She collected the books on the lists that some of the vital personnel send her. Since they would be staying in the tower but stuck on the lower floors she also brought the books to them. 

She called Josh back, a short conversation reassuring him she was fine, that she would move in with him for a short three weeks and that she would try to get there by nine this evening. Somehow he had sounded a bit too enthusiastic as she had explained the situation in the tower. All this distance between them hadn’t been good for their relationship so far. They would call less and less, especially the last two weeks. Nova walked up the staircase, collecting the books she would bring to Loki. 

That was the last thing for today. It was almost five p.m. after that she would lock the library and go back to her room to get her back and get some bus tickets. She hadn’t actually been on Thor's floor except for the library. Gently she opened the door and looked around the hallway. The hallway was similar to the one on the common avengers floor. To her right were the elevator doors and to her left the hallway showing different doors to presumably a bedroom, bathroom and other private areas. She couldn’t help but snicker as she saw the childlike colorful and almost childish door signs as she passed through the hall. 

There was one door where the sign had been broken off. Cold air came from the door frame. Moving the pile of books to one arm Nova knocked on the door. No reaction. She knocked again with the same results. “I… ehm” Why was it so difficult to talk to him. She couldn’t see him, he was on the other side of the door. And yet she felt his presence somehow, the angry-danger feeling that he had projected during their first meeting was back. Making her want to run. She took a deep breath, gathering her nerves. “I have some more books you may like, I’ll leave them here, by your door.” As she bent down, to put down the books, the door creaked ajar. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.   
> I hope you enjoyed. If so, don't forget to leave Kudos and/or a comment.  
> They are all highly appreciated!  
> Aïnsa


	9. Nine would be death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I believe every writer will cope with the almost worldwide lock-down in their own way. I decided against my own advice, to write about it anyway. This is just the start of it, and for those knowing the MCU timeline.... such as myself... You will know this lock-down won't take long. At December 18th Happy got caught in the crossfire of one of the "mandarin" attacks and the whole matter was sorted out before New Years Eve so that's thirteen days. I've been in lock-down, or as my government likes to call it "intelligent lock-down" for almost 6 weeks now. I won't allow myself to complain however. My family and friends are all safe and healthy, that's the important part. 
> 
> If you are struggling right now, or need someone to talk to, i'm always willing to listen and so are many others. Everything will be fine, it might take us half a year, but everything will be fine.

The door creaked ajar and a rush of freezing cold made Nova gasp and caused all the books to fall down the remaining feet to the ground. As the door opened further the cold air seemed to diminish and Nova dared to look at what was in the doorway. Still being bent over she saw two nicely shaped feet. No shoes, just two feet and the edge of the trouser-legs’ slightly ruffled edges. 

A throat being cleared made her to straighten up, slowly, causing her to come face to face with the owner of the feet. Stating that he didn’t look happy would be an understatement. He looked down at her with about as much hatred as could be displayed on a human face. Nova took a deep breath, trying to calm down her suddenly rapidly beating heart and the cramped feeling in her chest. She didn’t dare to look in his eyes, instead focusing on his mouth and chin which were at perfect eye-height for her. 

The cold was even more obvious now that they were standing close together, causing goosebumps to appear on all nova’s exposed skin. Tentatively she took a step back, willing herself to keep breathing. His face burst out in a malicious grin making her feeling even more uneasy. She could see her own breath forming small clouds in front of her as the cold seemed to get even worse. Keeping her eyes on Loki she took another step back, and slipped. The moment she slipped a hand pushed on her throat causing her head to bash against the wall behind her.

* * *

When she came to some her head hurt, which wasn’t all that surprising. She wasn’t cold however. There was a blanket laid over her, the door to Loki’s room was closed and the books were gone, so was Loki. She almost jumped as he appeared at the end of the hallway with a glass of water. An unreadable expression on his face as he walked towards her. Putting the glass of water within her reach before retreating a few feet away.

Nova looked at him, her head hurt, her throat hurt. How come every time she had to meet this guy she either ended up hurt and possibly strangled or he acted as a complete saint? She felt anger start to bubble inside as she drank the water. Keeping her eyes on him, trying to gauge his mood. Trying to suppress her own anger, at which she failed. “The fuck is wrong with you?”

One perfect eyebrow lifted as a response but the rest of him didn’t move. Not even when she got up, threw the blanket off her. Ignoring her headache she took two large steps until she was right in front of him. “No, I’m serious, what is your problem? I’m trying to be nice to you, probably one of the few here who treat you even close to humanly. Yet this is the second time you have to fight me?” She knew she was ranting, but it felt so good to finally have an escape for her frustration. “You could have said so you know? Could have told me you don’t want help. It’s not that hard.”

She took a deep breath, trying to gain control over herself again. She hated it when this happened, when she lost control. She turned around, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose as she moved in the direction of the library. “You can’t leave.” His voice was soft, gentle, almost apologetic as he spoke the words. 

She whipped around pointing her finger at him. “Like hell I can. I’m no prisoner here like you.” He shrugged, seeming impossibly certain of his words. She turned around again and tried the door. It wouldn’t bulge. She turned around again, Loki hadn’t moved but a ghost of a smile played around the corners of his mouth. She walked further, trying the elevator buttons, no reaction.

The fear came back, she was locked in. Not just locked in, but locked inside with a mass-murderer who had attacked her not just once, but twice. She took a deep breath, keeping her face towards the doors. “Jarvis?” nothing “Loki?” a soft humm, “What time is it?”. It took a moment before he answered, “It is about ten past six I would say”

No, no, no, “no”. “I’m quite certain actually”. Nova you can do this, calm down, deep breaths, don’t let him see you’re scared. She turned around again, facing him but pressing her back against the unmoving doors. As she faced him the ghost of a smile disappeared and his expression was again unreadable. 

“Next time you decide to get all murderous on me... “ deep breath in, deep breath out “a warning would be nice”. He lowered his head slightly. “Perhaps, I’ve heard about a system. Since we’re stuck here and I would like to survive this ordeal” his head stayed where it was, making it very difficult for her to read his expression. “Can you work with a scaled system? Let’s say one to ten? Where one is when you have no intention of hurting me and ten being…” deep breath in, deep breath out “at ten i guess i would be dead already?” “nine” “what?” “Nine would be death” She nodded, “Okay, so, what would ten be then?” he raised his head, the malicious grin back “a very slow and very painful death” Nova pressed herself tighter against the door. Forcing her voice not to tremble, “Where are you at now?”. She failed, his grin disappeared, face unreadable again, “five”. 

That’s good, so five meant no harm done, but also ‘keep your distance’ as was obvious from the yards separating them now. “From what number would I need to run?” He blinked a few times, as if unsure how to answer her question. “Six”. She nodded again, more to herself than to him. She felt the adrenaline leave her system as nothing had happened now for a while. As the adrenaline went her headache came back. 

“My apologies” she waved her hand in his direction as she pressed the back of her head against the cold metal of the door. “Can you not, like, magic away my headache like you did last time?” He looked actually apologetic for a moment before composing his features again. “That was a hangover” she sighed, “So?” “my ‘magic’ as you call it, is” he took a deep breath and started again “Yes I can treat a hangover, but a concussion” he closed his eyes for a moment and his left hand balled into a fist. “I can relieve some of the symptoms” She started walking in his direction “That would be appreciated, since you were the one who caused it” “six” “what?” why would he… oh. “Six” she turned around and opened the closest door, halfway down the hall, immediately locking it behind her. Pushing her back against the door she let herself glide down to sit on the ground. 

Loki couldn’t stop the smile completely as it tried to take over his facial expression. Yes it probably was very mean of him to scare her like that. It had been a while since he had had someone to… / _play with? Scare off?_ / Mess with. He was the god of mischief after all. He turned back to his own room, this might just become fun. 

* * *

Nova waited until dark before leaving the room she had locked herself into. A guest bedroom with a dark red theme. As silently as possible she made her way through the dark gloomy corridor. Really? Dark and gloomy? It was actually rather peaceful, quiet, deserted. She made her way to the living area, hoping that just like on any other floor there was a computer there. As she reached the kitchen her stomach gave a hopeful growl that made her change tactics. First, get some food and something to drink. Second, find that computer and contact. Who was she going to contact? She had to let Josh know she wasn’t going to come to his place. He would be worried sick by now. She couldn’t exactly tell him where she was. He would tear down the building if he knew she was stuck with Loki. Even though it probably was the best option, especially regarding her own safety, it wasn’t what she wanted. 

Then who would she tell? Somehow telling anyone would result in them rescuing her. Was she suicidal now? Did she want to? No, there was just something about him. About Loki. The way he had held his composure before, as if he wanted everyone to know he was in control. She had seen the cracks in that mask though, the strange blue-ness of his eyes. The coldness of his tone, the arrogance and contempt that washed away the small moment of vulnerability after he had apologized. He was like a book, one of those exciting old mysteries. Where no-one knows the story and it hadn’t been read in ages. Where you have to peel every page carefully of the others, as if it doesn’t want to be read. 

Or he just reminded her of herself. She hated being an open book, hated it when people could read her emotions. It had taken her over a year to admit to liking Josh. Well that’s not true, she admitted it within a week of his confession, to Anna. Anna, how was she? She hadn’t heard from her since. Well, since she went to live with her parents. A twang of guilt settled in her stomach as she started rummaging through the cabinets in the kitchen. 

Pop tarts. And not like one or two boxes. No pantries full of them. “Apparently gods are fueled by pop-tarts” “It would seem so” She whipped around to the entrance of the kitchen, breathing coming in fast and her heart rate seemingly spiked through the roof as she leaned on the kitchen island counter-top. Breathe in, breathe out. It’s just Loki. Loki the mass murderer. He looked at her intrigued, as if sensing her inner fight. No. Just Loki, he is wearing pajamas for Christ's sake. He can’t get any less intimidating. An image of Loki in Anna’s old flamingo onesie flashed across her mind making her smile. Oh he could get so much less intimidating. As her heart settled again she looked at him questioningly. “Can I get you anything?”

A flash of surprise before his face went back to one of mild contempt. As if he had just seen someone walking past him with a dead fish but felt too good to say anything about it. “I don’t think so” “oh, oke” She went back to searching in the cabinets, this time the ones of the kitchen isle, not daring to turn her back on him. She felt him looking at her but chose to ignore the feeling. She settled for a bag of cashews before straightening back up and locking eyes again. “Are you sure?” he was still staring, distantly as if unsure if she was there. She forced a friendly smile on her face. 

He shook his head, eyes closed, before looking back up. “Stop making so much noise.” She stilled, stopped chewing the nuts and wondered what he meant. “Sorry?” “I was trying to sleep, so be still.” and with that he turned around and stalked back to his room. She looked after him, nodding to herself as she resumed chewing again. Yep, he was possibly the most intriguing book she had ever read. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave kudos or a comment ;)


	10. A tentative smile. A curt nod

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of Nova and Loki in quarantine together.
> 
> Edited 15-05-2020: I didn't like the ending, last week I rushed it so now I hopefully restored it somewhat...

The dreaded phone call was possibly worse than expected. Of course, Josh wasn’t happy that she was stuck at the tower for the foreseeable future. Offering to come visit her the next weekend. As if she was some child getting house arrest. Somehow it didn’t quite get through to him that the tower was in lock-down. No-one in and no-one out. That part already made him quite grumpy. She was going to miss Christmas, the yearly Lord of the Rings marathon with the boys. She had already missed Thanksgiving with his parents and this seemed very convenient. Now she would miss Christmas as well. Nova felt kind of guilty. She didn’t like Josh’s parents in particular. They were always trying a bit too hard. Especially his mom. The woman had proclaimed herself Nova’s adoption mom on multiple occasions and never listened to her protests. Nova didn’t need a mom though. Or at least, not anymore. Back when she might have needed one, Josh and his family weren’t around. 

“Are you even listening to me?” oops, she had zoned out again. It happened often when someone was vocally mad at her. “I don’t think I’m being unreasonable here. Tell me, am I being unreasonable?” She put the phone on speaker, laying it on her lap and reclining against the back of the sofa. “No?” That was what he wanted to hear right? He probably wasn’t unreasonable. She had never found Josh being unreasonable. He sighed, trying to calm himself. 

She could picture him now, pacing frustratedly through his room. Probably with his hand covering his eyes. He always wanted to hide his eyes when he was frustrated. “I just miss you Nova, I miss you so much. It's…. Please, come back. We’ll figure it out, together.” Silence. “I spoke to Anna about us. She told me. Uhm. You were searching? That bookstore, Mr Whittle, it was part of who you were, and that’s gone now. I get it, please let me help?” 

He had spoken to Anna? She hadn’t even spoken to Anna, not in a long time. She wanted to though, she missed her friend. Had she been searching though? Was she still searching? She missed Josh, the laughing, the sex. But she didn’t miss the life, nothing exciting had ever happened in that town. In her life. And now just in these few months here. She didn’t have to pretend to be the heroine in a story she had read. She was living the adventures she had read about a thousand times. Perhaps not with the medieval castles, knights and battles, but who knows what’s still to come.

“I’m sorry for being boring then!” Had she spoken out loud? Shit. “So that’s it then hè? I’m just a normal human being? You’ve found yourself some real heroes. Making me superfluous? You know what Nova? I’m done! I cannot compete with the likes of Tony Stark or Captain America and I’m sure as hell not going to try!” She could feel the tears streaming down her face. Never in their entire relationship had she heard Josh being this mad. She had really hurt him. “I’m so-” “No you’re not.” he sounded clipped, his voice hoarse with the same emotions she was fighting off. “It’s over Nova, I’m done. I’m sorry” and with that he ended the call. 

Loki had heard the entire conversation. Sneaking out of his room to complain as the male voice had gotten even louder, making his headache unbearable. Now he was standing, hidden in the doorway, looking at the crying woman on the couch. / _ Pathetic _ /. Her face was hidden by the blanket that she had pulled close around her. Her shoulders were shaking with each sob. Apart from her labored and harsh breathing there wasn’t any sound. She cried silently. As if not wanting to disturb him. / _ how considerate _ / 

He wanted to help. Feeling sorry for her. Yes she was a human being, a mere mortal. But losing the male seemed to have affected her badly. / _ We don't want to have to listen to her mewling the entire lock-down _ /. The voice left him no choice. Helping her, but how? He wasn’t comfortable with physical contact and assumed neither was she. He walked to the cooler, rummaging in the frozen area until he found a bucket of iced cream. A midgardian delicacy he had secretly fallen in love with. For a change he tried to make noise as he walked toward her. He didn’t want to scare her. Not now. He put the bucket and a spoon in front of her before making his way back to his room. / _ Finally. Peaceful and quiet. No annoying human chattering. No mindless footsteps wandering around _ /.  _ Quiet! _ . He shouted at the voice in his head. Strangely enough it complied. 

* * *

A few days later Nova had settled herself in the windowsill of the living area. A mug of milk at her feet. Wrapped in a blanket, seated on a pillow. She read her book. Occasionally she would look out the window. Longing for the outside. Remembering her outings with Josh. Strange, she was never a really outgoing person, but now that she was locked inside. She longed for freedom, for the feeling of grass or even better fresh snow under her bare feet. The wind pulling at her hair. The sun on her face. 

That was possible. Her position in the windowsill allowed the sun to warm her. Like a cat she welcomed the rays of light. A noise alerted her for the arrival of her companion. At least he didn’t sneak up on her anymore. She turned to him, shortly. A tentative smile. A curt nod. There wasn't much conversation between them. She turned back to the window. Even in the winter the park looked wonderful. Ice on the lake allowed the citizens of New York to go skating. She smiled, remembering how Anna used to love skating. Nova had been scared to death. Clutching the stool for balance until her knuckles went white and she fell anyway. She couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. 

"What?" She jerked her head to look at him. He was dressed now. Or more accurately speaking, he was dressed in something else than the dark green pajamas. Black suit-pants and a matching blouse, no tie but the jacket was hanging over the back of his chair. She felt horribly under-dressed in the sweatpants, T-shirt and checked blouse she had stolen from presumably Thor. They were over-sized but the woman's clothing she had found in the other bedroom were on the other side of the spectrum. Or at least the pants were. She had been unable to even get them past her thighs. The t-shirt was a bit tight, but stretchy enough to at least provide some cover. 

Loki still looked at her expectantly as she let her eyes wander over his well-dressed form before replying to his look. "What?" "Don't parrot me, you made a noise first" she closed her book and turned around to face him. "I miss outside, the park, the snow, even the ice-skating rink. And I can't even skate!" he also put his book away and walked closer. Claiming the other corner of the window, as far away from her as possible. He must really hate human contact, Nova thought. He looked out over the park. Just as she had done. "They seem to be enjoying themselves" he sounded almost disappointed. "Why wouldn't they?" he turned to her, gesturing outside again. "Their city is still rebuilding" that was true, everywhere in Manhattan you could see the afterglow of the invasion. "Their lives so fleeting, they have already forgotten what has befallen their city." 

"I don't think they've forgotten, I think they're choosing to forget" he looked at her, incredulously. "and how does one choose to forget?" he asked, voice heavy with sarcasm, she started to feel nervous. Was he trying to start a fight? Was he actually curious? She tried to gauche his mood, which seemed to correspond with the color of his eyes. "It's like a distraction, they allow themselves to be distracted by something that makes them happy." a flash of disappointment before his face was back in the controlled expression. Suddenly she felt guilty. Had he not been sarcastic? Was he actually curious? With Loki she had discovered it was often hard to tell. "I'm sorry" "what for?" he snapped, making her cringe. He opened his mouth as if to say something more. Changed his mind. Turned around and stalked back to his chair. 

* * *

Little changed over the next few days. Just before Christmas the news alerted them about the death of Tony Stark and the destruction of his Malibu mansion. With the tower still on lock-down there was little they could do about it except watch the news. Loki who had wandered towards the television to see the evidence scoffed before retreating to his room. That bugged Nova. She didn’t really know why. The last couple of days, almost a week, he had always stayed in her vicinity. Not today. She went back to reading but couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. Perhaps he had gotten bored with her. She was after all only a human. She just hoped that his non-aggression streak would last. It was evening already, the clock in the hallway struck eight. Not by far late enough for the god to go to bed. Honestly, she didn’t know if he even slept. He stayed up after she went to bed. Every morning she came for breakfast he would join the moment she started rummaging through the kitchen. As if he had been waiting for her to make breakfast. 

He was raised as a prince of course. Used to servants biding to his every wish. He didn’t really ask for anything. He wasn’t demanding either. He did however look discontented when she only served herself a portion first. As a prince he was of higher status and should be served first, a voice in her mind told her. She had conceded to his wishes. Actually serving him. Serving him first. He never really gave her any recognition for her cooking. She didn’t even know what foods he liked. He just ate everything she put in front of him, the exact amount she put in front of him, no second servings. She focused back on her book. Losing herself in the story of a traveling musician in fourteenth century France. 

* * *

She walked through the hallway towards her bedroom. Past the door to Loki’s room. The door flew from its hinges and smacked her against the wall. She groaned trying to catch her breath as the wood continued to press into her. She couldn’t see what was happening on the other side. She closed her eyes and turned her head, trying not to get squeezed. Trying to get her hands in the correct position to push back. Or wrap them around the door and try to remove whatever was pushing the door. 

The next moment it was gone and there stood Loki. His hand on her throat. What was it with this guy and strangling? She thought. How could he touch her? He was dressed in his full armor. Leather from top to bottom, he was even wearing the horns. Stark's wristbands that were meant to stop him from touching her, were gone. A menacing smile appeared on his face as he followed her eyes before looking back up. Blue-eyes that looked straight into hers. “I’m so going to enjoy this” he whispered, his face mere inches away from hers. “No” One eyebrow raised “No?” he smacked her across the face, not hard enough to do any damage, but it did hurt and whipped her head to the side. 

Then she got angry. How dare he hit her. And she started to fight back. Using all she had, her nails. Teeth. Everything was put to battle. He just held her there. An arms length away. Her nails could not penetrate his skin and he didn’t seem particularly impressed with her punches. It didn’t take long for her to tire out. She let herself go limp. Breathing harshly. He still smiled. She tried to remember her training with the famous black widow. She almost heard the voice through her head “With men, don't try aggression, they expect that. Hit them where it really hurts, their feelings.” How was that going to help with a god who didn’t feel anything? 

Was that true? Didn’t he feel? He felt angry, at least that’s what he projected. So angry, anger, what is the opposite of anger? Calmness, that was not going to help. Then what? She had to distract his mind. She placed her hands on his cheeks, pulling him towards her. Her mind was screaming at her. What do you think you are doing? You idiot! He is not your rebound guy. But it worked, he released her throat and she used the opportunity to kick his nuts. That did get a reaction and he groaned. She gave him a last push before running for her life to her own room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,  
> Thank you for reading!  
> don't forget to leave comments or kudos ;)  
> Aïnsa


	11. Loki? What’s happening?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Nova are still in Lock-Down.   
> But something changes....
> 
> I hope you enjoy it ;)  
> Please leave kudos or a message at the end!  
> Tips and tops are also welcome.  
> Aïnsa

A blood-curdling scream followed by a loud bang ripped through the night. Nova shot up from her sleeping position on the couch. Her book slipping from her lap to the ground with a bang. As quickly as the scream had started it disappeared again. Leaving behind an eerie silence that made the hairs on Nova’s neck tingle. A flash of lightning lighted the empty and dark living room. She must have fallen asleep. She could still feel the sweat on her back from the nightmare. It had been so lifelike, so real. Another flash followed by a deafening boom that made her shoot up from the couch. Loki must have heard it too. Perhaps he had an explanation for what was happening that night? A voice in her head taunted that perhaps the god of mischief was the explanation. Or the scream was the explanation for his behavior earlier. Earlier? That had been a dream right? A strange dream that is. 

Loki’s door was closed, as always. Closed? Had he not just tried to squeeze her with it? She tried the door-handle. Immediately pulling back her hand as she touched the freezing metal. An uneasy lump settled in her stomach. This wasn’t air-co. Even with air conditioning the temperature in the tower didn’t go below 62 degrees. This wasn’t good. Had he lost control again. “Loki?” her voice sounded soft, trembling. “Loki, are you okay?” she waited for a few seconds. Nothing. Oh dear mother of god. Let him be okay, she prayed. Wait had she gone mad? This guy had tried to… what had he tried earlier? To hold her still? To kill her? She wasn’t sure. Had he even tried something? Wasn’t it just her subconscious? Now she was going to wake him up. That couldn’t be a good idea. Ignoring the voice in her head, she banged her fist against the door. “Loki!” 

All of a sudden the door gave way and she stood in the doorway. Loki was seated on his bed. His back against the headboard, legs sprawled in front of him. One hand was fisting the bedding while the other nervously tapped on his own thigh. Staring ahead of himself, his lips pressed together tightly, jaw set. He looked pale, but that could just be the lighting. The lights were off. A greenish hue came from a small ball of -light? Energy? Fire? Nova wasn’t sure- about the size of a tennis ball, that danced nervously in front of him in the same pattern as his fingers. 

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. She immediately took a step in his direction, then stopped. What was she going to do? She could see the white of his eyes. His nostrils were flared and she could hear his breathing that was coming in rapid gasps. He was afraid. The thought tried to overwhelm her, but was immediately dismissed. He wasn’t afraid, he was terrified. He was a god, and he was terrified. That could only mean that he was afraid of something much worse than a god. She felt sorry for him. Had he not tried to be nice, or at least tolerate her presence here? She wanted to comfort him. But how? Physical contact wasn’t really their strong-suit. At least not according to the last few days. Then again, neither was talking. That left her short on options. 

She remembered how he had gotten her some water when she had hit her head. She turned around. “Don’t” it was so soft, so pleading. “huh?” She could hear the fear in his voice and turned back to him. He scraped his throat, “Stay, please”. He didn’t look in her direction. “I was going to get you a glass of water, I’ll be back.” She could see the shudder that went through him. The ball of light expanded for a moment before he got himself back under control and it shrunk again to its previous size. 

New tactic, distraction. “You made that?” she pointed at the light. Now he moved, following her finger to the ball. He seemed surprised to see it. Had he not noticed making it? Had he not been the one to make it? His fingers stilled and he consciously unballed his fist, making the ball fade away. Nova flipped the switch, turning on the lights. She looked around curiously, she had never been in his room. Whites, greens and golds made up the color palette. The room looked a lot like hers, a small desk that had only an empty water pitcher and some glasses. A bookcase that was mostly empty except for some books, frozen water bottles and a deck of cards. The last book he had been reading on his nightstand, next to a glass of water. 

She walked closer. He looked miserable, even worse now that the green floaty was gone. His eyes shifted from side to side as if compensating for the movements he stopped making with his hands. “Did that help?” he shrugged. She studied him. In the past few days he had looked healthier than she had seen him. Not anymore. Sweat was beading on his forehead, had he also had a nightmare? His eyes, now that she was closer were wide open and the color was switching from green to different levels of blue. There was a thin red line on his throat as if someone had recently held a knife there. Then his face twisted to a pained grimace and he doubled over. His knees pressing against his chest and a faint sound of pain escaped his mouth. Then it dawned on her, someone was hurting him. Another lightning flash made him flinch. The ball of light re-emerging in front of him. “Loki? What’s happening?”

* * *

He hadn’t wanted her to see him like this. No one was to see him like this. He was a god after all. A being without weaknesses. Especially in comparison to midgardians. The freedom that he had experienced the past few weeks, in particular the last few days in her presence, it was gone. He had relished in the distance that his move to Thor's floors had put between him and the scepter. 

Now for some reason it felt closer again. Too close. So close in fact that The Other had not only the mental control, but was able to physically torture him. He had been fighting with the voice in his head all day, assuming it had just been a bad day. Now he wasn’t sure anymore. The thunderstorm had woken him up from his nightmare, making him aware that he wasn’t in the abyss. That had been a good thing, he had been able to start fighting for control. Then she had come, diverting his focus. The war in his mind was still ongoing but he felt more on top now. 

A pained sound left his mouth as he felt the burning hot sensation on his back. A second after the pain subsided a bright flash of lightning made him flinch. His fist balling unconsciously as he kept his eyes closed. He ignored the warning shocks from his wrist contraptions. She must pity him now, what adult was still afraid of lightning? “Loki? What’s happening?” He opened his eyes, again seeing the unintended outflow of his magic floating in front of him. Focusing on the calming magic that he had automatically weaved in the spell he started talking. 

“I fell from the Bifrost, and in my fall I was recovered by an, I believe you call it ‘Alien’, The Other. He is quite powerful, has a deep bond with the scepter. Different from mine, he is it’s master, it does his bidding. He found me, shaped me.” A sharp inhale, “He tortured you” she sounded bitter. He shrugged, the more he talked the better his control seemed to get. No new pain had been inflicted. “He used my mind against me and I became a tool. It was my task to retrieve the Tesseract from midgard. If I were to fail, he would find me. There is no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find me.” He scoffed, 

“Some days are worse than others. The last few weeks… days actually, it seemed to recuperate. Today was miserable, almost as if….. I don’t know.” He shuddered and closed his eyes. He felt the bed dip as she seated himself at the far end of the bed. “He can do this to you?” He sighed, “evidently” he felt her shift on the bed. “I’m sorry” his eyes shot up, boring into hers. “Why? Can you make it stop?” She flinched at his harsh tone, “No, it’s just, no-one deserves to be forced against their will” He scoffed again but allowed her to continue. “My old boss, he fought in the war, one of his friends got caught and was forced to work for the Germans. When he came back he was changed, he hated everything German, everything they had done to him, to his friend. Yet he said that even the Germans who were responsible did not deserve to be treated like that.” He wore a grim expression, “What makes you think my actions were not my own?”

It was her turn to shrug. “You’re hurting” “that’s no excuse” “I beg to differ, desperate times call for desperate measures.” He looked at her with new interest. Perhaps this midgardian wasn’t too bad. He leaned back against the headboard, letting his legs slide down again. The struggle in his head was gone. The strange quiet was unfamiliar in his mind. The burning pain in his back was now a throbbing, which worried him. That needed to be taken care of. With his ‘inheritance’, his mind cringed at the thought, a burn could cause serious damage. The calming magic had evaporated. She took the disappearance of the light as a sign that it was time to go, he felt her get up from the bed. 

He would need her help. He couldn’t use magic to heal his back. “Could you…” He stopped, unsure how to ask, or unable to because of his pride. “I need your help” she looked at him expectantly, and he started to get off the bed. Groaning when his back stretched. “My back, it needs curating” “I’m not a doctor” a flicker of irritation passed his face, he wasn’t exactly happy with her leaving him alone, afraid that the control he had now would vanish. “In case you had forgotten, you are the only other individual here.” A playful smile played with the corners of her mouth and she bit her lip trying not to show it. “I'll get the first aid kit”

When Nova returned just a few minutes later Loki was laying face down and shirtless on his bed. His back was covered in red welts, top to bottom and in the middle, over his spine. She shuddered when she saw it. Dark bruises surrounded black blisters. Clear liquid was oozing from the one that was cracked. “My god.” “Yes?” The sound was muffled by the pillow but she could almost hear him grin. “This is going to hurt, I’m sorry” He tensed, and apart from a soft hiss didn’t react to her cleaning and bandaging the wounds. Her eyes drifted over his form. He was lean, still too lean for her liking. His muscles flexing under her touch. She ended with an Aloë-Vera salve, applying it to the welts. A soft sound came from his chest, a rumble, perhaps. It took awhile for her to recognize the sound, a purr. She couldn't stop the grin spreading on her face. The god was purring. He turned his face to the side, and looked at her disturbed, the purring stopped. “Don’t you dare ever to tell anyone about tonight, not about before and not about now. I will find you and I will enjoy it… You? Not so much.”

* * *

Life for Loki had gotten increasingly better after that night. The presence in his mind remained gone. Rather than focus on staying alive, like he had done the past months, perhaps even years, he could now live. He was still trapped in the tower, his magic limited by the wrist contraptions, but it was an improvement. He even started to enjoy the midgardian’s company. Especially when she cared for his back. She wasn’t particularly careful anymore but he liked the small massages she would give him. He quickly figured out she liked him purring and would give him a massage just for that reaction. Well, he was happy to oblige even though the sound reminded him of his... Just enjoy it Loki...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading,  
> I hope you enjoyed ;)  
> Please leave kudos or a message!  
> Tips and tops are also welcome.  
> Aïnsa


	12. It seems you've overstayed your welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit late, I know. I'm sorry.   
> Good news however, My assignment for uni is finished and now I have seas of time to focus on my writing. This chapter will be the aftermath of Iron man 3. We left of with Loki and Nova in quarantine, strange dreams and thunderstorms. Now it is time for Tony Stark to find out what has happened in his tower during his and Jarvis' absence.

Nova gave a soft pat on Loki’s upper arm as she finished applying the salve to the last remains of the burns on his back. “That’s the last, it’s almost healed.” She couldn’t help feeling a bit sad as she got up from her kneeling position on the bed. In the last few days she had cared for Loki’s back twice a day. Strangely intimate and awkward it had been the first few times. Not anymore, she now felt comfortable with his presence, as long as he didn’t get mad. The god gave her a muffled answer in his pillow. “Huh?” He turned his face, “I owe you thanks.” She wiped her fingers on his bedding and gathered the supplies she used. “Yeah, you owe me” He frowned before slowly getting up and putting his shirt back on. 

It is strange how quickly they have gotten acquainted with each other after that one night, about 5 days ago. Loki has to admit he feels more comfortable around her. He tells himself it’s just familiarization. In the beginning she helped him control his headaches, control his mind. He got used to her presence that even now he doesn’t need her anymore, the influence of the scepter is too weak, he still prefers to keep her close, just in case. He stares at the open door she just left through. 

A short message alerted the leftover residents of the tower that Tony Stark and Miss Potts would be arriving soon and would end the lock-down. Since it was officially during the christmas holidays those not present in the tower would be allowed to remain in their respective homes until after new years eve. The individual floors would no longer be locked and J.A.R.V.I.S. would be reinstated starting now. 

The message itself wasn’t the problem for Loki and Nova. Reinstalling Jarvis however caused the alarms on the floor to go off and even though Loki and Nova immediately separated into different rooms, they couldn’t stop Iron Man and War Machine from bursting through the windows. Nova carefully put the book down she had been holding, using it to protect herself from the incoming glass flying around. The adrenaline was racing through her body as she tried to remain calm. 

“Mr Stark, welcome back, how can I help you?” She looked at the two metallic robot-like men now standing in front of her. “Where is he?” She opened her mouth to ask for clarification as to who he meant, but Jarvis beat her to it. “He has retreated to his room Sirs” The red and gold Iron Man stalked away while the red and blue ‘Iron Patriot’ turned to Nova. The face-plate flipped up and two dark eyes looked at her inquisitively. “Are you alright?” He studied her, looking for signs of pain or perhaps to see if Loki had taken over her mind. Nova nodded, not sure who or what she was dealing with. She had of course seen the Iron Patriot on television but never met the real man in her life. 

“Name’s Colonel Rhodes, Ma’am, I’m here to take you to safety.” he gave her a short salute. “I’d rather stay, if it is all the same to you.” He looked at her surprised and studied her more closely. “We’ll make sure he gets what he deserves.” She felt her eyebrows rise at that and slowly got up from the couch. Still needing to look up at the slim face she replied: “I doubt that.” Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow. “Miss?” “You plan on hurting him” At that moment Iron Man returned, dragging a disheveled looking Loki behind him. Nova wanted to go to him. To make sure he was okay, that there wasn’t any permanent damage. She looked from the colonel to the metal mask of Iron Man before focusing on Loki again.

She kneeled in front of him. His hair was a mess and there was a burn on his left temple. “Jarvis, I am going to touch him, please don’t hurt him”. Very slowly she raised her hand to move the hair away from the wound. She wanted to inspect it. Her eyes stayed on Loki’s, looking into his green eyes. She saw the impenetrable wall he had pulled up, the mask. When her hand touched his cheek, a crack seemed visible in the wall and he closed his eyes to compose himself. The mask was back into place, he looked at her with a look of indifference. "It seems you've overstayed your welcome" he sneered. 

Had she been wrong? She studied his face but couldn't get past the barrier he had pulled up. A feeling of self doubt settled in her stomach as she got up and moved to colonel Rhodes. She nodded at him to take her to safety. Of course she had been wrong. Loki wasn’t her friend, he was a god. She was nothing compared to him. Completely insignificant. She nodded at the nurse who checked her for injuries in the medical bay before she was brought to her room. She felt empty, used, numb. Like a zombie she went through her daily tasks, The library reopened and a lot of residents came to switch out books. 

* * *

Loki contained his chuckle looking at the frustrated man in front of him. A bureaucrat from SHIELD, a young man, probably very good at his profession, but not at interrogating. He was nervous, his eyes never staying on the god long before flickering back to the camera in the corner or to the two-way mirror in front of Loki. “Tell us what you know.” his voice wavered, showing his uncertainty. “Or what?” Loki sneered, sensing the distress the man was under. He could see the shrivel running down the spine. “We will get the information we need.” Loki raised an eyebrow, a grin spreading on his face. “Please, do your worst.” The cockiness of the interrogee seemed to make the Shield agent even more nervous. He scraped his throat and looked nervously to the camera before straightening his tie. Loki couldn’t help himself, “I have a proposal…” 

The door opened and two men stepped in. One dressed in Shield’s special operations gear and the other in the standard uniform of the tower security. “You are not in the position to propose anything” the security guard stated before the other addressed the shield agent, “Thank you Agent Thomas, we will take it from here.” The young agent left the room as quickly as he could, obviously happy to be dismissed. 

Loki eyed the new men suspiciously, they were older, more experienced in the profession, he could sense that. The security man had red hair and freckles, he was short but very masculine. He was carrying a dark briefcase and seemed to follow the other man. The other man was taller, with dark hair, short clipped in a typical military fashion. Dark eyebrows and matching dark eyes, a hardened look in them. He was obviously the leader and even though Loki didn’t know his background he was sure the man was proficient in fighting techniques. “Agent Rumlow, Shield, Mr Moore, Stark Industries” the leader introduced himself and his companion with a quick hand gesture. 

“I propose you start talking” Loki put his face in a polite smile. “That would imply that I know what to talk about. I could of course make small talk.” A dangerous glint started to flicker in the Agents eyes as he continued. “I could ask about the weather since there are no windows in this room. However I doubt it has changed in the past few hours. Perhaps you would be more interested in my opinion of your chosen color palette today? I’m all for blacks, don’t get me wrong, but a splash of color would do wonders” “ENOUGH!” 

With a loud bang the suitcase was placed in front of Loki and opened. He could see the various knives and tools along with a black box connected to a red and a black cord. His expression changed from the hospitable expression to a menacing smile. These were torture tools, midgardian torture tools. Under normal circumstances they would hardly hurt him. The silence remained while both parties tried to gauge the other. Loki wasn’t really impressed with the torture tools or the perspective of being tortured. It wasn’t a pleasant one but these were midgardians, it couldn’t be too bad. The question was whether they were actually going to use them or if this was just a display meant to intimidate him into talking. The other men tried to see if Loki was in any way affected by the display of torture tools. Loki knowing this made sure they remained disappointed. 

“Well, maybe you should specify what you want me to talk about?” Loki asked. “You know.” came the grunted answer. “I am afraid I do not.” He could see the other man was starting to lose his temper, his face was becoming more and more red and his fists were balled on his sides. He had stepped back after opening the suitcase and was now trying to contain himself. Something Loki could have fun with. He focused on the man, "Mr Moore, wasn't it?" the face contorted, showing the hatred bubbling underneath the surface. "What would you like me to talk about?" The man looked to the agent, now behind Loki's back, for guidance, which was answered with a shrug. "He isn't of much help I'm afraid" Loki continued, leaning back comfortably in his chair. “Or perhaps he just doesn’t care” A flicker of confusion crossed the man's face. “He doesn’t care as much as you do” Loki continued, “For you it’s personal, isn’t it?” The man was now chewing the insides of his cheeks and Loki was almost expecting there to be steam coming from his ears. “So tell me, what have I done that deserves your wrath?”

Keeping his face deceptively neutral Loki stared straight into the brown eyes. The man’s anger had probably something to do with his invasion now more than half a year ago. Perhaps he had been engaged in the fights or a loved one had died. The poor fellow. Somehow this all felt like a scam. Something was wrong. The reaction of the Red-haired man in front of him seemed legitimate, but the agent, whose reflection he could study in the mirror seemed off. He focused on the man again, still struggling to contain himself. “My my, it is personal isn’t it? How unfortunate you aren’t allowed to act on those grudges.” 

The man stilled, holding his breath as Loki continued to taunt him. “I bet, if it weren’t for your boss here, you would have used all the tools in that nice suitcase on me by now, wouldn’t you?” “No” “No?” Loki made a soft hum before continuing, “Where did I go wrong? You do not wish to kill me?” “Death would be too easy” By now a deceiving calmness had settled over the man as he slowly approached Loki. “Of course it would be” Loki smiled at the man now standing over him, intimidatingly close. “But it isn’t up to you isn’t it? You’re just a pawn, no say in the matter whatsoever.”Loki raised his hands and flicked his finger against the man's cheek. “Completely insignificant”

That did it. Within milliseconds Loki’s chair was toppled over and he was laying on the floor, hands still tied behind the chair. The man was kneeling, one knee on his chest, ramming his fist into Loki’s face. The man was wearing a wedding band and for a midgardian surprisingly strong. He wasn't able to pierce skin or break bones, but Loki was sure there would be some bruises later. The Agent pulled the man away after a few blows and dragged him out of the room, all the while speaking to him in a hushed voice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.   
> Kudos and comments help motivate your (fellow) writers so don't hesitate to leave them behind.   
> Aïnsa   
> P.S. if you have suggestions or scenes you want me to cooperate, just let me know. ;)


	13. It’s called sorcery you fops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life in the tower starts to go back to normal. Rumors of Nova's stay with Loki surface.   
> Nova is forced to see a psychologist, someone shipped in by Tony Stark from LA. (You might recognize her from a television & Netflix series, I'm sorry I couldn't resist)  
> Loki is again a prisoner and Natasha Romanov is sent in by Fury to find out what has actually happened.

“I did not expect you back” The blond woman noted as Nova closed the door behind her. “It seems I don’t have a choice” She replied before taking place on the dull gray leather couch as Stark Industries on site psychologist gathered her papers from the desk before seating herself in a baby-blue chair on the other side of the glass table. “Why did you decide to come back?” The woman asked, she was wearing her hair in a french twist, her burgundy glasses balancing on her nose and wearing a dark blue suit with a white blouse underneath. “I’ll get fired if I don't,” Nova answered, fixing her eyes on the magazines underneath the glass saloon table. “Is that the only reason?” The woman asked, her gaze fixated on the papers in her lap. “Yup” She plopped the P at the end before taking a sip from the glass of water. 

The psychologist took a breath, “Okay, let’s try something different. Why do you think you are forced back here?” She set down the pen and settled her scrutinizing look on Nova. “Gee, I don’t know, perhaps because I just spent ten days with a convicted killer in lock-down? Or maybe Mr Stark still has a grudge against my family?” The psychologist nodded, “I can assure you that Miss Potts only wants to make sure there is no lasting damage from your recent experiences.” Nova scoffed and crossed her arms and legs. Sure now they suddenly wanted to make sure she was safe and sane. 

“You survived, you are a survivor. I’m sure you did what you had to do and i’m sure it wasn’t easy. However not talking about it is not the solution. In order for you to continue, you need to come to terms with what happened. So please, tell me, what actually happened between you and Loki during the lock-down?” Nova looked at the woman in complete bewilderment. This was the same question she had been asked the past four days. Every day she had responded with pretty much the same answer. That she and Loki had quickly come to an understanding, he would give her a warning before attacking and she would stay out of his way as much as possible. Yet no-one had believed her. 

Chris had returned rather quickly after the lock-down had been dropped. He had avoided her at all costs and whenever they happened to be in the same room together he had looked at her with disgust. Elisicia on the other hand had looked at her with pity, telling her it was okay, it was not her fault, that it would pass. “What would pass?” Nova had asked the elderly lady who had just answered with a “you know” and continued talking about the food she would prepare that evening. It had even come to the point where every conversation in every space she entered would fall still before continuing in a hushed tone. Every once in a while someone would cover up a “slut” or “whore” with a cough as she passed. 

A few hours ago, just before she was due to visit the psychologist, Dr Linda Martin, Elisicia had dragged Chris to her room to apologize. Which he did, against his will. That was the first time Nova had heard the actual rumor everyone believed. Apparently she had been in love with the Asgardian god for quite a while and had made sure she was locked on his floor. Unable to leave or get rid of her, he had indulged (of course) and she had become his new hooker. Another version, a bit closer to the truth was that he had attacked her while she brought him his books. Seeing her knocked out on his floor stirred up his carnal lust and he locked her in a room on his floor, using her as he saw fit. 

A cough brought her back in the present, Dr Linda looking at her expectantly. “What would you like me to say? That I just found out everyone thinks I’m either a rape victim or a whore?” She matched the psychologist's anticipative expression before leaning back on the couch. “Which one are you?” Nova raised her eyebrow, really this woman didn’t stop. “I told you, I’m neither. I haven’t slept with Loki and neither did he force me to.” The woman nodded, disbelieve shining through her friendly smile. “Ugh, what would it take to convince you? Do you want to take vaginal swabs or something? An X-ray to make sure no alien life form is currently growing in my uterus?” 

That made the doctor very uncomfortable as she quickly answered, with a lot of hand gestures. “That won’t be necessary.” Nova forced her face back to neutral “So what would it take to convince you?” “I’m sorry, it is my job to make sure nothing bad happened to you, often rape victims feel like it is their fault and refuse to talk about it for years. It eats away at them, breaking them mentally down until they can’t take anymore. I’m just trying to help you. Is there nothing you regret from your time with Loki?” Deep breath in, deep breath out, it’s not her fault, it’s not her fault. Nova opened her eyes again. “Yes, you are right, there is something I regret.” The psychologist reacted absolutely delighted which made Nova feel very uncomfortable. “Perfect” She clapped her hands together before crossing her legs and preparing to write. “Why don’t you start there then, what is it you regret?” Nova took a deep breath, “I regret thinking that he stopped hating me.”

* * *

Loki couldn’t help overhearing the conversations in the room adjoining his interrogation room, those pesky midgardians always speak so loud. There were two men and one woman having a conversation that could only be about him. “I think he is capable of anything, so yes, that includes rape.” one of the men said, causing Loki to look at the two-way mirror in surprise. That was a crime he hadn’t committed. “She didn’t look like a rape victim to me, Breyonna who works in the care on the fourteenth floor said she had no traces of rape, no bruising, no semen, nothing” Who, who where they talking about? Actually he could guess, but he needed to be sure. “So you are suggesting she fucked him, HIM willingly?” “Duh, have you looked at HIM? For an alien he’s quite handsome, no green or grey over-sized head with enormous eyes.” Loki rolled his eyes, did midgardians really believe all aliens look like that? 

“So you are saying that just because you would want to fuck him, she would too? That’s ridiculous.” “Guys” The third member finally intervened, “What makes you think they had sex?” “Yeah exactly,” the first one replied, “He is smart right, the god of mischief and everything? So if there was any evidence against him he would have hidden it with his mojo-abracadabra.” That was enough. Loki picked up the pen left behind by one of the agents and threw it at the mirror. “It’s called sorcery you fops! Now shut up and let me be in peace!”

* * *

Natasha Romanoff raised her eyebrow as she listened to the two SHIELD agents and the Stark Industries employee so far charged with interrogating Loki. Unsurprisingly the god had not been loose-tongued, despite apparently hardly shutting up. Fury had sent her to New York the moment she finished her last mission, seven hours ago. She was tired, she was grumpy and most of all, she really didn’t want to be here. “So he hasn’t made any remark on the scepter?” “No miss….?” “She’s the Black Widow you idiot.” Rumlow growled to the young agent before turning to Natasha, “No he hasn’t said anything about the scepter” She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment to think, before turning to the last man. “What about you? What is your impression on Loki?” 

The man suddenly seemed nervous as she looked at him. Wiping his hands on his sides of his pants and moving his body weight from one leg to the other. “I’m afraid I have acted less than a professional, Miss Widow.” He lowered his head, looking at the ground and continued in an almost whisper, “I have allowed Loki to provoke me and uhm…” He twisted his hands together, looking up at Rumlow for guidance before looking back to the floor. Natasha felt bad for him. The man wasn’t a SHIELD agent, he wasn’t trained like she and Rumlow were at interrogating. It was also clear the man felt intimidated, she decided to help him. “You gave him a good bashing.” He nodded, so hard she was afraid he would break his neck. “Yeah, I’m sorry” She nodded, he resumed looking at the floor, before she turned back to Rumlow “Did that help?” The other man looked up surprised as the young agent answered “No miss Black Widow. The only thing he has been willing to say is that he will only talk to miss Nova.”

“Nova, the Stark Industries librarian?” three heads nodded and she sighed, crossing her arms before looking at Rumlow with one eyebrow raised. “So why haven’t you brought her down here yet?” Rumlow took a step forward, crowding Natasha as she refused to give ground. “Because I’m not going to deliver the girl he raped for over a week back to him on a platter, I’m not an idiot.” Natasha could feel the blood rush from her face, there was a lot that left her cold but this was something she couldn’t tolerate, yet it seemed she didn’t have a choice. She saw the interrogation tapes on the flight to New York, but not being in the tower meant she missed the gossip information, she would have to rely on his information. What he probably didn't know was that she had also seen the security tapes of both Thor's floor and the basement where the scepter was kept. Nick Fury suspected something, he wasn't sure, that's why he had sent her. To find out what had actually happened and if and how SHIELD was involved. 

She turned to the youngest man in the room as Rumlow retreated, “Agent Thomas, Why don't you go and get the girl and bring her to me.” The young agent left while Natasha turned to the other two men “Mr. Moore, why don’t you report to your superior, I’ll make sure to put a good word for you with mine.” gratefulness filled the man’s eyes as he gave her a short nod and left the room. That left her with Rumlow, he was a good agent, practical, a good fight also. She liked sparring with him and now that the others were gone she felt herself relax and could see he did the same. 

“What’s your plan Widow?” She gave him a small smile, “I’m going to have a chat with Nova and I’m going to give Loki what he wants.” Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Her smile disappeared and she looked at him coldly, “Are you questioning my decision Agent?” He held up his hands, palms forward “I’m just trying to protect the girl, can’t imagine if that was my daughter.” Natasha nodded, “I know, how is little Isabelle?” she asked with a mean twinkle in her eyes. “That’s classified information, and you know it!” He scowled as a response before a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. 

* * *

He had not expected his request to be complied with, especially not with the rumors of him having raped her, however there she was. A neutral expression on her face, her heartbeat steady. Only separated with the table and a manila folder. “They want to know what you did with the scepter” She looked at him, expectantly, expecting him to deny having done anything with the weapon. Instead he remained silent. “However” she continued “you and I both know you have done nothing with it. They just don’t seem to believe you, or me.” She sat down, playing with the top of the manila folder, as if to open it before changing her mind. “What is it you want Loki?” He smiled, more for the camera’s than for her. “What would you like me to say? That I want to rule earth as a benevolent god?” His voice raised with volume as he continued to taunt” That I seek the sub-conjugation of the human race?”

At that rather than become angry she bit her bottom lip, the corners of which threatened to turn upwards. Two little dimples became visible in her cheeks before she composed herself. “Perhaps, if that is what you want.” He smiled at her, sincerely this time. “What do you think I want?” A dangerous guess, she could reveal too much, but something told him to trust her. She was playing the game, playing the game with him. “I think what you want most right now, is freedom” He opened his mouth to interrupt her but she stopped him by holding up her hand and continuing. “Freedom however, is not mine to give you.” She opened the folder in front of them. She was careful, keeping the inside from being visible both for the cameras and the people behind the two-way mirror. Showing how it was empty, but with a written message inside. [inside job] “Who has stolen the Scepter for you Loki?” She closed the folder, looking at him intently. Now he could hear her heartbeat quicken. She was afraid, afraid he would expose her. He nodded, almost imperceptible before answering “I have friends, loyal to me, in high places, everywhere. Even though I do not know who took the Scepter, I am most grateful and can hardly wait to be reunited with it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading,  
> I hope you enjoyed ;)  
> Please leave kudos or a message!  
> Tips and tops are also welcome.  
> Aïnsa


	14. I think the correct term would be ‘hitch a ride’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter in my installment: 
> 
> Life goes back to normal, or does it?  
> Natasha comes to visit.  
> Hydra attacks Stark Tower.  
> Loki takes a life and saves a life.   
> Shit is going down.

Nova and Loki look up in surprise as Natasha Romanov enters the library. It has been months since they last saw her, back when the scepter disappeared. Now they have fallen into a comfortable routine. The days are spent in the library where Loki occupies a couch and Nova is either at her desk or in the windowsill. Most others avoid the library now that Loki is there almost all the time. Nova often has to play delivery service to bring and retrieve books from different floors and sections of the building. Her acceptance of Loki resulted in more people believing she was in love with him, rather than her being raped. Elisicia had retired a few weeks back and Chris only worked weekends, making her group of friends rather small. She had spoken to Anna, just a quick call, a promise to speak each other soon. Anna believed her, saying she was never one to fall in love quickly. 

“I need to talk to you” The Black Widows voice focuses on Nova, ignoring Loki who in response breathes deeply, closes his book and gets up from the couch. “Then, I will make myself scarce” and with a small bow to the Black Widow he backspaces towards the door and disappears. 

Nova closes her book and gets up from her spot in the windowsill and gestures to the chair on the other side of her desk. “Please, talk” Her voice is slightly higher than normal. The infamous spy still makes her nervous, even though she has so far proven friendly. “I have to leave the tower” Nova nods “Something is going on, within SHIELD and possibly Stark Industries. I have decided to trust you, don’t make me regret that decision. Be on guard at all times. Remember, SHIELD has access to all systems and if you suspect anything, anything, report to Tony Stark or send a message to Thor.” 

Nova can almost not believe her ears. Why does this woman trust her? She tries to not let it show on her face, but somehow the spy can still see it. “Why you?” Nova nods, “You remind me of me, a long time ago, you have a good morality.” Something she had lost, and needed to re-find, once, with the help of Clint Barton. “I want to train you, once this is over. I believe you could be a great spy. Just see this as a test, a trial.” She gets up, closing the brown leather jacket “Just, think about it” and with that she leaves for DC, her next mission already waiting. 

* * *

Loki wakes up, groaning and throwing his pillow at the ceiling to stop the harsh wailing noises. It is then he notices the bright lights in his room. “JARVIS?” he shouts, trying to get his voice to carry above the sound of the alarms. At that the sounds stop. “A message from Mr Stark, Sir” the robotic voice replies. “And that needed me to be woken up in such a harsh way?” Loki sneers, getting up to retrieve his pillow from the other side of the room. “I’m afraid it is an emergency and Mr Stark needed me to be sure you were listening.” Loki spreads his arms, slowly rotating in all his glory “I am listening” 

At that the screen at the far end of the room lights up and shows a tired looking Tony Stark. “Loki….” upon seeing his nakedness Tony Stark hesitates before taking a deep breath “Please put some clothes on.” “Get to the point Stark, never seen a naked man before” Stark makes a tired gesture. “Fine” with an eye roll, Loki grabs a pair of sweats from the nearby chair. “We are under attack, as you can see, I’m in no condition to fight.” Loki can see that, apparently the rumors of the open heart surgery are true. “What does that have to do with me?” He sees the man take another deep breath before the Jarvis voice interrupts “Sir, they have reached my servers and are attempting to shut me down.” Tony stark immediately continues “Jarvis, everything we discussed. Loki, find the library girl, Romanoff told me we can trust her. Take her to Thor and bring him here” Loki smiles as he feels the contraptions around his wrists loosen before clicking and falling to the floor. “You must be truly desperate to come t-.” however before he can finish the sentence the electricity seems to shut down. 

Loki looks around, in the darkness, reaching with his Seidr to find the power of the Yggdrasil. It has been a long time since he last had access to his full powers and he relishes in the feeling. A golden light travels over his body, leaving him in his full asgardian armor, sans the helmet. Conjuring a pair of daggers he makes his way to the door. Ignoring the wave of tiredness that hits him after this small use of magic. He throws open the door into the darkened hallway. The doors at the end of the hallway are opened, leading him to the stairs. Now he has to remember what floor she sleeps on. He had no intention whatsoever to help Stark, however he did care about the midgardian girl, he would save her, bring her to safety and then disappear. She would understand. 

He jumped through the hole in the middle of the staircases, bracing himself to land 35 floors below. Here the sounds of battle were obviously present, shouting and gunshots were heard, the sounds growing much louder as he pulled open the door to the hallway. These floors looked different from what he was used to. No single floor belonging to one home, but multiple small homes adjacent to a single hallway. There was a small group of assailants in front of him, going from door to door and either shooting the inhabitants or locking them inside. They ignored him as they reached the end of the hallway. 

That’s when he hears her voice “Let me go!” he looks in the direction of the sound as her pleas are answered by a man “You are Loki’s whore, we are going to give you to him, on a silver platter, and in exchange he will help us get rid of Stark” Loki can see them now, she is pressed against the wall inside what he assumes is her room. The man who had just spoken in front of her, one knife pressed to her belly as his other hand is ripping open the shirt she wears. Loki silently comes to stand behind the man, one of his knives to his back, the other to the throat. “What makes you think I want you to touch her?” he whispers in an ear, a look of relief on Nova’s face as the man freezes in fear. The look of relief is quickly exchanged for revulsion as Loki slices his knife through the man's throat. 

With that action the fighting in the hallway seizes and everyone still there turns to look at him. “Quickly, grab my arm and close your eyes.” He turns to the doorway, ready to fight, waiting for her to grab a hold of him. Nothing happens. She is still standing there, blood covering her shirt, chest, neck and the lower parts of her face. She’s staring in front of her, to the place the man’s neck had been before he had fallen to the ground. Loki turned around, looking at the blank expression on her face he sent away one of his knives into the group now charging towards them, a shout telling him he didn’t miss, before grabbing her upper arm and teleports to the first place coming to mind. 

* * *

They stumble and fall as they land on a soft spot of grass. Nova shakes her head, smelling blood and looks down in wonder before remembering the sliced throat. The picture is etched into her mind and combined with the smell she retches. Her stomach emptying itself on the grass. Next to her she hears a groan and two leather boots enter her view. “This is nice, isn't it? A bit of fresh air.” She sits back on her knees, looking at Loki, he looks tired but despite that he is standing tall, his eyes closed breathing in the fresh air. She wished she could smell it too, not just the smell of blood. 

A dark shadow comes from her right and lunges towards Loki. The god is taken by surprise and falls down, a soft grunt leaving him as his back hits the ground. The dark shadow is on top of him within seconds but immediately slackens. Loki pushes it off of him and now Nova can see. It is a man, a green-handled knife buried in his chest, just beneath the Stark Industries logo. Her eyes go to Loki, who is once again standing. He is leaning heavily on his legs, his breathing labored. It takes him a while to straighten up, “I love being outdoors again” 

Nova looks around, recognizing the streetlights “We are in the middle of central park….” her voice dies out. “Yes, Exactly.” She turns back to the man on the ground, pulling his head towards her and she starts to undo his facial protection “Who were you?” Loki replies all to happily “Some lowly midgardian trying to…. I think the correct term would be ‘hitch a ride’?” She sends him an un-amused look before facing the now bareheaded man. She sucks in a breath. “Shit” “Well his fighting skills weren’t that bad actually, nothing to…” “I know him.” 

Now Loki looks at her, sees the bleakness of her face before looking at the body. He also knows him, this was the man, what was his name? Mr Moore, the Stark Industries man who hit him during the interrogation. It seems his perception was right, some lowly midgardian indeed. “Can we just dump the body? Or were you planning a funeral?” He sees tears falling from her chin onto the body. “He was my friend’s dad!” That makes him feel bad, guilty. Apparently this man is important to her. “I claim self defense” he tries to joke. “Have you really no regard for human life?” She looks up at him, anger in her eyes, still filled with tears. “Why does that still surprise you?”

She turns back to the body and closes the eyes before folding the hands on his chest. Loki removes the blade with magic, not wanting to disturb her ritual. He immediately feels the tax of it. His magic is far away, almost out of reach. Not using it for such a long time has taken its toll on his ability to access it. He needs to rest, rather sooner than later. Nova looks at the body, now seemingly peaceful. “I’m sorry Chris, I’m so sorry”. She hadn’t been a good friend to him, but neither had he been a good friend to her lately. She wipes her hands on the uniform in front of her. She never liked Chris’s dad, the few times she met him he had either been horrible to Loki or to her the one time she had seen him after the Lock-down. 

She leans back, checking her surroundings as the voice of the Black Widow comes forward in her mind. ‘Something is going on, within SHIELD and possibly Stark Industries. I have decided to trust you, don’t make me regret that decision. Be on guard at all times. Remember, SHIELD has access to all systems and if you suspect anything, anything, report to Tony Stark or send a message to Thor.’ Her eyes wander to the streetlights, it is now she notices the safety camera mounted underneath. She feels ridiculously paranoid as her view switches to a dark form moving behind some trees. She whips her head to the other side as she hears police sirens coming from the edge of the park. She stands up, walking the two steps to grab Loki by his arm. “We have to get out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,   
> Thank you for reading.  
> If you enjoyed my story so far,   
> Leave kudos and or a comment.  
> Aïnsa


	15. You do not happen to be bulletproof?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We continue our story in Central Park.   
> Surrounded by SHIELD agents Nova and Loki have to get out of there.

They had to get out of there. Natasha had said she could trust no-one. Did that include Loki? He was the god of mischief after all, a trickster. But for some reason Stark had set him free, and he had come running to her. Maybe that was part of the deal he had struck with Stark. Nova didn’t think Stark would put so much value on his librarian, so that must have been Loki’s doing. So she could at least trust Loki to keep her safe. Even so, she should keep an eye on him. This was his first time out of the tower since the attack in May last year. She wouldn’t keep it beyond him to at least try to escape. Right now however she needed his magic, his ‘Seidr’ as he had once called it, to hide them. 

“Loki, can you disguise us from the cameras?” she pulled his arm and pointed to the offending device. “Of course I can, who do you think you are talking to?” One of his eyebrows was raised together with one corner of his mouth. “Just some different clothes and removal of the blood will do” She didn’t trust him with changing her completely and then not changing her back. Also she needed the different clothes, she was still dressed in her ripped pyjama blouse and matching shorts. Shorts, why was she wearing shorts? In the beginning of spring, outside in the middle of the night? Why had she been wearing pyjamas? Oh yes, right, period, great. At least it wasn’t her first two days where the sluices opened and the red flood made it’s monthly appearance and she was wearing night-pads so she was good for a while. Gross, but good. 

She looked at Loki, his armor still pristine except for the occasional splatter of blood. “Can you change our clothes in something more casual? Preferably with a hood to hide our faces? Something inconspicuous?” His face became serious, as if he was overthinking an important decision. “Let me get this straight, you want me to change both our clothes and make you look less like an escaped vampire, rather than casting an illusion?” Even though actually changing clothes cost more energy and magic in the short term, he couldn’t be sure for how long the illusion would last in his current state of magical exhaustion. “Yes please.”

An uneasy feeling of being emerged in ice-cold water traveled over her body, followed by a gold light that dried her skin and left her wearing black skin-tight leather pants, black knee-high lace-up boots, a grey loose-fitting long sweatshirt with an abstract geometrical pattern and Jewel neckline that could also serve as a cowl, a hooded wrap coat-like cardigan of very soft fabric and a short black leather jacket. As the uneasy feeling of cold had passed she turned to Loki, he was wearing a similar outfit although with green rather than grey details. He also looked worse for wear, dark circles had emerged under his eyes and his breathing came again in harsh pants. 

She started dragging him to the edge of Central Park, to Columbus Circle, even at this hour it would still be one of the busiest subway stations and thus possibly the best place to hide in plain sight. Then again, she was traveling with a god, a magical god. “Can’t you just zap us to New Mexico where your brother is?” He looked at her calculating before replying “I have to have been somewhere before I can teleport us there.” “But you hadn’t been to Central Park, had you?” Now he looked exasperated “No, but I could see it from the window, I have to visualize where I want to land, otherwise we might end up inside a tree or a wall” he explained as if to a small child. “Fine” she huffed, “Then I guess it’s public transport” and she couldn’t help but smile at the face Loki made at that thought. 

She stopped just before exiting the park, staring at the busy intersections of the Columbus Circle roundabout. There on her right, just below trump tower was the entrance she was going for. To take the A-train that was still going to 42nd street/Port authority Bus Terminal. “Why don’t we take a taxi?” Loki asks, finding the prospect much more comfortable than what he expected public transport would be like. She was still holding his arm, the touch grounding him as he gathered his magic. The sounds were overwhelming now that he was this close to the traffic. 

She pulled him forward, not waiting for the traffic and dragged him across the intersection. Spurred on by the shouting from the men she had spotted following them through Central Park. Traffic from left and right braking hard. One car dented the back of another. A motorcycle slewed on the greasy road. But they were across. The men left behind on the other side, raising a gun as they flew down the stairs into the subway station. 

Breathing harshly she looked around, it was only a matter of time before they caught up. She dragged Loki behind her, jumping the gates to get to the platform. She could feel Loki trip and fall over the gates and helped him up. Looking over her shoulder anxiously before running past the few homeless having found sleeping ground in the station. She followed the signs to the southbound platform and ran to the outer edge of the platform before stopping. Bending over, her hands on her thighs as she tried to gather her breath. Loki looked disheveled, his hair tangled, his hood had slipped off when he fell. 

Now that she had let go of his arm he had grabbed a hold of hers. With a crushing grip he held on, as if afraid to lose her. Her breathing steadied as the train arrived and the doors opened. She got inside and slumped on the nearest two-seater, Loki in the seat next to her. She looked at the platform, looking for any sign of their pursuers. There as the doors closed they arrived on the platform. She could see them pointing at the train, shouting at some of the people still remaining on the platform. One of them even waved a gun around. Then the train started moving and the platform disappeared behind them. 

It was only two stops to the bus terminal. For now however they were safe. She allowed herself to relax, something she immediately regretted as her muscles started to protest against the sudden extortion they had endured. She sighed, looking at Loki. He looked as if he had just smelled something disgusting and she couldn’t help but laugh. It was ridiculous after all, she had just been asleep when a few men started banging on her door. She had opened it, expecting some drunk colleague and instead had gotten assaulted. Loki saved her. He teleported them to central park. And now here they were, inside the subway train on their way to hopefully catch the first bus south. Loki grinned at her, guessing the direction her mind was taking her. 

Their moment of joy was cut short as the voice in the train announced the next station would be 42nd street. Nova could feel her nerves start again. Looking out the window constantly to see if she could see the station already. She couldn’t believe the SHIELD agents did not figure out where they were heading. She had to assume they were there, waiting for them. She felt the train slow down, and nudged Loki to move to the doors. They would have to run, again. 

The train slowed to a still and she could see them. The station was empty except for them. Eight men and one woman. Armed with guns pointing at the train. She saw a glistening in Loki’s free hand as a blade emerged. “You do not happen to be bulletproof?” “Unfortunately not” she looked outside again. The agents had blocked all exits, they had run right into the trap. And now she was silently cursing herself for not realizing this sooner and getting off a station earlier. 

There is no way they would now reach the bus terminal. Hell, they wouldn’t even make it off the platform. She turned to Loki, “I’m sorry” he turned to her, a sharp look in his eyes. “You’ve given up” She gestured outside, she saw no way out. They would be captured if they were lucky. Loki would probably be lucky. He was the silver-tongue after all, he would talk his way out of it. She wasn’t as good with spoken words as he was, she would provoke them, get herself killed. “You are forgetting who you’re travelling with” His eyes twinkled with mischief as he looked at her with a promising smile. 

With that he squeezed her arm tighter and she squeezed her eyes closed. She waited, waited for the sound of guns going off and the feeling of bullets ripping through her body. She felt the cold air in contrast to the warm air pumped into the subway systems in New York. The smell was different too, fresh air mixed with exhaust gasses. She listened, not hearing the trains riding past on the opposite side of the platform. Instead she heard the soft rumble of car engines, twittering birds in a tree, the wind rushing through the leaves. She could make out voices, a language she didn’t understand. That made her open her eyes in shock. Where were they? Where had Loki taken them? 

The bright light of the sun forced her to squint her eyes as she looked at the square in front of her. Fountains surrounding a large pillar. She felt more than saw Loki fall down next to her. She checked his breathing and was relieved to find him still alive. Gently she rolled him over to his back and one of his eyes opened. “Loki, where are we?” The eye focused on her “Stuttgart, Germany” Was the answer, it came out with a lot of effort. She felt relief flood her as she realized they were still on earth. Then the relief turned into despair as she realized they were in Germany. On another continent. 

She looks at Loki again. Beads of sweat are clinging to his face, his hair in disarray. Both his eyes are closed now, he looks peaceful asleep. Too bad she’d have to disturb him again. Carefully she drags his arm across her shoulders and straightens up. He felt cold to the touch, but he didn’t look hurt and she hadn’t seen any blood on him. Groaning as her muscles protest she starts to drag him to the edge of the square. She’s seen the information board there and hopes they can find a hotel or something to rest. She needs it, and Loki looks like he needs it too. 

* * *

It’s a hotel, not much but it’ll do. Loki is at least awake by now, although not really able to stand on his own feet yet. He reminds Nova of a drunk. A very weird drunk that is. He paid the lady at the desk with a gold coin that Nova suspects is pure gold and now he is sniffing her neck as she drags him up the stairs. “Are you wounded?” Nova rolls her eyes as she hears the thickness of his tongue through his speech. “No, just sore, are you?” He stops her, pressing her with her back against the wall of the stairs. Looking into her eyes with disbelief. One accusatory finger is pointed at her face “You smell of blood”. She can feel her cheeks redden before she has to intervene and stop him from falling down the stairs. “I’m a woman,” she said, as a way of explanation as she drags him in front of the room. 

The door opens with a soft beep as she pulls out the card. Inside is small, it smells funny. There isn’t much furniture, a bunk bed and a low dresser. Nova walks inside, dragging Loki along before closing the door and leaning him on the dresser. “Okay, top or bottom?” At that Loki looks at her with a suggestive smile before replying “That’s not the question I expected. I’m not complaining, it just seems a bit fast.” he raises his hands as in surrender. Nova sighs, gesturing towards the beds but he doesn’t follow. “I think the real question is, would I rather you be on your back or on your kne-” She gives him a shove making him topple sideways to the floor, removing the suggestive grin from his face in the process. 

“Bunk Beds! I was talking about bunk beds.” She grabs the edge of the dresser to steady herself, feeling a wave of tiredness make her sway. Loki looks at her betrayed from his position on the floor, then turns to look at the beds with an expression of disgust. “Those are adult beds?” “Yes princess, suit yourself I'm taking the bo-” she stops herself just before she can say the word, seeing the curve of Loki’s lips that start to turn up as she continues “Lower one.” and with that she lets herself fall face first onto the mattress and ignores her companion, turning her face to the wall. Loki curses something in a strange language and she feels the beds wobble as he hoists himself in the top bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,  
> Thank you for reading.  
> If you enjoyed my story so far,  
> Leave kudos and or a comment.  
> Aïnsa


	16. Malo nodo, malus quærendus cuneus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malo nodo, malus quærendus cuneus : for a hard knot a hard tool must be sought, sometimes also translated as 'desperate times call for desperate measures'. 
> 
> Nova and Loki arrived in Stuttgart, Germany, last week.  
> Now they will try to make their way back.  
> At least, that's the plan...

The sound of a tiny jet woke Nova up. She was still face-down on the lower bed, facing the wall. She moved her head to the other side, looking at the door where the offending sound was coming from. Who owned a tiny jet and used it indoors? A rhythmic bonk indicated the jet hitting the wall and then the sound stopped. She heard footsteps moving before the sound started again but a bit further away. Tiny jet? She smiled at her own sleepiness, that was a vacuum. Slowly she extracted herself from the mattress, wincing at the soreness of her muscles. As she sat upright, her chin leaning on her hands, elbows on her knees she thought back to what had happened the night before. 

A shudder passed down her spine as she remembered the man who had dragged her from her bed. Not for what he had done, ripping her pyjamas, no. Flashes of the man’s sliced throat, his expression from shock dissolving into nothing as life left his eyes. Then the still body of Chris’s dad flashed before her eyes. His eyes had been open too, the knife still protruding from his chest. Then the look in Loki’s eyes came to her mind, the moment he had slashed the first man’s throat. Murderous, dangerously calm, a slight hint of panic behind a carefully constructed wall of hate and disgust. In the past few months of hanging out with the god she had almost forgotten how dangerous he was. How dangerous he could be. Both times he had not hesitated to take lives. Although she had to admit one of them could be seen as self-defence, but still. 

And now here she was. In Stuttgart, Germany. As gently as possible she got up and turned around. There he was. He was in the top bed, at chest height for her. Just like her he was still wearing the same clothes as last night. His blanket was pulled up to his chin. He was laying on his back, his face turned to her. This was the first time she saw him like this. Completely relaxed. No masks, no control. An almost childlike innocence on his face as he continued sleeping. The magic he performed last night had obviously taken its toll as he still looked bleak and the dark circles under his eyes were still pronounced. Softly she threaded out of the room, closing the door behind her. 

The lady from the reception desk was still there. She was in her late forties Nova guessed, with heavy make-up making her look older than she probably was. The smell of hairspray and cigarettes hit Nova as she approached. How could she not have noticed this earlier? The woman's name was Nicole according to the sign on her chest. 

She looked up as Nova approached, continuing to chew her chewing gum. "Where can I get breakfast?" "Fruhstuck? You wait here, I get." was the reply in bad English with a heavy German accent. The woman got up from her seat and opened the door behind her, which Nova figured was the kitchen. "Fruhstuck!" "Wie viel?" the woman turned back to Nova "Zwei mahl?" but before Nova had the chance to answer she turned back and shouted "Zweimal, es ist für den gutaussehenden Mann aus Raum 7." Nova couldn't hear the answer that came but heard multiple men laughing as the door closed and the woman turned back to her. 

"Anything else?" "uhm, yes, I'd like to book my flight back." The woman started typing on the computer "Where?" "New Mexico" "Heute? Today?" Was that even possible this quick, apparently they weren't used to people staying as the woman showed no surprise. Nova nodded and the woman typed some more, muttering to herself in what Nova suspected was German before holding out her hand. "Passports, bitte." Shit, her passport was still in New York and she wasn't sure Loki even had a passport. As she didn't react Nicole turned to look at her with suspicion. And Nova hesitated before pointing up to the room, that seemed to still the woman's suspicion. She turned the computer screen, allowing Nova to watch along as she pointed to things on the screen. 

There were flights going from Berlin, Brussels and Amsterdam to Santa Fe or Albuquerque To get to any of these cities one could take a plane, which would require a passport. A switch of tabs showed Nova a train route to either Amsterdam or Berlin and Nicole pointed "Plane need passport. Train no Passport" Nova nodded it didn't make sense to her but she wasn't going to argue. The flight from Berlin only went to Albuquerque and from Amsterdam the flight went via Montreal and Chicago to Santa Fe, which she remembered Thor had mentioned so it must be close to where he and Jane were, hopefully. It sounded like a plan, except for one thing, Nova really didn't want to go to the Netherlands. Or at least, not now, not under these circumstances. 

"Amsterdam, please… Bitte?" the woman smiled encouragingly at Nova's attempt at German and started typing as Nova waited. After a few minutes the printer started whirring and a few papers came out. Nicole explained that she had only printed the train tickets since she didn't have the passports for the flight tickets. She had however printed the full journey and which flight to take from Amsterdam. "You go up, I bring Fruhstuck." Nicole said with a wink and suggestive smile that made Nova very uncomfortable before turning the computer screen back, signalling the end of the conversation. 

* * *

Convincing Loki to come with her to Amsterdam had been easier than expected. She had figured that with his current freedom he would be gone given the chance. Yet here he was, in the seat opposite her, seemingly asleep. He looked better now, after almost twelve hours of sleep. She looked back out the window, to the approaching city. It looked small. Well, small compared to New York. Not as many tall buildings. It was a lot bigger than Winderbrook or Soutes. 

She remembers the phone call to the only person she knows in the Netherlands. The woman had answered, surprised and wary. Suspicious as to why Nova called now, after all those years. Explaining that she just needed a place to stay for the night before getting a plane in the morning hadn’t helped, not with the suspicion and not with her own guilt for not reaching out earlier. That feeling was quickly repressed when she remembered her mother not reaching out either. She had gotten a card for her graduation from high school. That was the last time she had heard from the woman. It had been even longer since they had seen each other. That must have been before her mom left, maybe once or twice after that via video-call. 

The train started to slow down as it approached the station and Nova felt her heart rate increase. What if Shield had found them? What if they were waiting at the station, guns drawn. She looked at Loki, now also awake, before turning back to the station. She didn't think he was ready to teleport them again. He was in better condition than last night, although still tired. 

At the station she couldn’t believe her luck as there was no cop, agent or anyone of the authorities in sight. There is however a man with a handwritten sign waiting for them. He is wearing a tailored suit and has a short military hairstyle. Nova raises her eyebrow at Loki in question but he ignores her and ignores the man. She follows him, having to lengthen her steps in order to keep up. She hears the man follow them. His heavy shoes thud on the floor. Urging her to speed up. 

Loki stops her the moment they step outside. In front of them is a large limousine, a dark color, tinted windows, the whole deal. The man with the sign has caught up and opens the door to the limousine for them. Inside it is dark, luxurious leather coating the seats visible through the door. Nova can’t help but feel impressed. “The Doctor wishes to speak with you.” The man holding the door open states as he starts to urge Nova and Loki into the limousine. 

At the other end of the limousine is a man, his face hidden by a large hood which is part of the green cloak he is wearing. The cloak is also hiding the rest of his figure. He is very tall, having to hunch slightly just to fit in the limousine. Nova scoots over, allowing Loki to sit next to her before the door closes and the Limousine starts to move. 

“Doom” Loki states, too pleasantly, his smile just a tad too polite, making the hairs on Nova’s arms rise. “Loki” The answer comes in a similar manner, a heavy european accent. “I must admit, I had not expected to see you back this quickly.” Loki shrugged “Malo nodo, malus quærendus cuneus” Doom leaned back in his seat, focusing his gaze on Nova for the first time. He looks at her with a mixture of disinterest and scrutiny before turning back to Loki. “This wasn’t part of our agreement, why are you back?” “I came to check on you, of course” “You and I both know that is a lie.” Loki’s smile spreads wider “oh, but is it?” Doom's face, or more precisely mask, remains unreadable as he leans forward. The tension becoming palpable. “Why are you still here?” Loki leans in as well, the tension rising as both men are scrutinizing each other. 

“Excuse my companions bad manners, I believe we haven't been introduced” Nova tries to pull Loki back by his shoulder, failing miserably, and extends her hand to Doom. “My name is Nova, a pleasure to meet you.” She ignores the look that Loki gives her as Doom takes her hand in his metal one and touches her fingers to his face as if kissing her knuckles. “I believe the pleasure is all mine. Dr Doom” She smiles at him before pulling her hand back, the touch of cold metal making her even more uncomfortable. Loki scrapes his throat, regaining Doom’s attention. Nova takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Perhaps this situation is better left to Loki and his silver-tongue. 

“I’m afraid I have to ask for a favor, Doom'' She raises her eyebrow in surprise. Loki hates being indebted to someone, to anyone. “As you well know it is even above my magic to transport me and my companion across oceans.” She focuses on keeping her face neutral. As if she knows this as a fact. How Loki can lie so easily, so convincingly is beyond her. He can hear her heartbeat quicken for a moment before it calms down again. ‘Good girl’ he thinks, she would make a great spy. “As you said it is in our agreement for me to shun the European continent, however now I have found myself here. To keep to our agreement I am in desperate need to return home, to the states.” Doom nods, his eyes darting to Nova for a minute as if to verify the facts before gesturing for Loki to continue. “You are a powerful man” She can hear the smile in his voice as he replies, although his metal mask doesn’t show it. “I believe I am, it would be wise to remember that.” The threat is clear, his eyes focus on Nova now. “And how can I help you?” 

Nova takes a deep breath. “We would like to take the plane, Amsterdam - Santa Fe, at 11 am tomorrow but we need passports.” She looks at him pleadingly. He leans back. His eyes darting between the both of them. “I can” His eyes focus on her “arrange for some passports.” Nova feels a wave of relief flood over her, changing in apprehension as she sees the twinkle in his eyes. “What do you offer in return” It was never that easy. “What would you like me to offer? Is it not enough that I will remove Loki from your continent?” “You are right. For now, that will be enough. However you must promise to keep this meeting a secret.” Nova nods at him, that still sounds too easy. “Also, I would like to see you again, once you return to Europe, come and visit me. That is the least you can do.” Since she is not planning on going back to Europe anytime soon, it is an easy promise to make. Perhaps too easy? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi
> 
> First a translation:  
> Zweimal, es ist für den gutaussehenden Mann aus Raum 7 : two times, it is for the handsome man in room 7
> 
> Thank you for reading.  
> If you enjoyed my story so far,  
> Leave kudos and or a comment.  
> I hope you are staying safe and sticking to the Covid-19 regulations in your country.
> 
> Stay safe, Sane and reading.  
> Aïnsa


	17. You hit me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are slowly approaching the end of the story.  
> Last time we left off when Loki and Nova were in Doom's limousine.  
> This time they spend the Night at an old acquaintance of Nova, who have no idea who Loki is.  
> 

The limousine drops them off close to the Olympic stadium. Which is disconcertingly close to where Nova’s mom lives, making her wonder if they tapped her phone call. The moment the limousine leaves, Loki spots a drone hovering above them in the sky. It really was too easy. He suspected Doom trusted him about as much as he trusted Doom, not. Nova follows his gaze, narrowing her eyes to better the contrast against the dark sky. “That’s bad, isn’t it?” “A minor inconvenience” She turns to him, gesturing to the drone still hovering above them “Really? We are being followed by a drone and you call it a minor inconvenience?” “Correct” 

With that he starts dragging her around the stadium. Looking for a spot, a nook, somewhere to shake the drone. To make matters worse it started raining as they got on the other side of the stadium. Heavy drops falling from an ever darkening sky. This made the drone more difficult to see and Nova wasn’t sure if it was still following them. Then Loki pushes her against one of the concrete protrusions on the side of the Stadium. A golden light covering them before he presses himself against her, one hand covering her mouth. His eyes transfixed on the rain, sensing, listening if the drone was still there. Nova forces herself to remain still, her heart beating against her rib-cage as a surge of adrenaline made her hyper aware of her surroundings. 

The cold mixed with the wetness of the rain makes her shiver and he turns to look at her. Gently dislodging himself from her. “Perhaps we should get inside first?” a look of concern in his eyes. Nova looks up, searching the sky for a moment before she registers her teeth clattering. She looks at his face, his cheeks have a bit of rosy color, his chest moving with his heavy breaths, either from the running or the adrenaline, she can't say. She smiles at him, pointing him in the right direction, to the small street. She looks around, not being able to see much beyond the high fences and hedges. 

It takes them some searching before reaching Jjsbaanpad number 70C. Now they are standing in front of the houseboat and Nova isn’t sure what to think. The rectangular house is set with wooden planks. A low gate separates the garden surrounded with a green hedge from the path. A mailbox just inside the gate painted with the number 70-C and the names Linda Smid & Johan de Jong. Right, her mom didn’t live alone but had found another man. Good for her. Nova didn’t know how she felt about that. She gently opened the gate and walked in. Closing it again once Loki was inside. A lamp on the porch snapped on, bathing the garden in a soft golden light. 

The door opened before Nova could ring the bell. A large man in the opening. He was wearing a checkered pyjama covered by a thick striped robe. He inspected the two individuals in front of him. The woman, almost the mirror image of his girlfriend, although a younger version. The man, vaguely familiar but he couldn’t recall from what. Where the man was dressed in leather and looking dangerous, the woman was dressed as a mixture between a goth and an assassins creed character. He extended his hand to her, “Johan de Jong”. 

She looks at him for a moment, hesitating, before grabbing his hand, a firm handshake. “Nova Stane, Linda Smid is my mother.” The man nods before extending his hand to Loki who just looks at it warily. “This is my companion” again a short hesitation, but he doesn’t seem to notice “Luke. Thank you for letting us stay here tonight.” Johan drops his hand, turning to allow them to pass him into the hallway. Locking the door with one hand he points to the other doors. “Toilet, bathroom, through the bathroom is our bedroom, please don’t come in there.” Through here, he passes them again and opens the door on the other side of the hallway. “This is the living room and kitchen, through there is the guest room, I put on clean sheets and there are towels on the bed.” 

It is then he notices the wet trail they have left behind. “Verdomme” he grunts before turning back to Nova. Her teeth still clatter and she has her arms wrapped around herself. The man seems fine, dripping wet but at least less cold. “I’m sorry, you must be cold. I will quickly dry the floor and retreat so you can take a hot shower.” He coaxes them into the other bedroom. 

Saying it is tiny would be an understatement. There is just enough space for two people to stand at the end of the bed. The bed itself is squeezed between the walls and seems just slightly wider than a one-person bed. Nova, still shivering, stares at the bed. Is this where they have to sleep? A soft knock comes from the door. “I’m going to bed now, I put a wash rack outside your door, to dry your clothes on. There are towels in the bathroom. I will wake you in the morning to take you to the airport.” Some doors open and close and while Nova makes her way to the bathroom, Loki hangs his wet armor over the clothing rack set up just outside the door. 

As he looks around the bed is tiny. Even his midgardian prison had a bigger bed. Muffled voices come through the wall, “Hoe zag ze eruit?” A woman's voice, “Ze lijkt op jou, alleen jonger. Ze zag eruit als iemand van Assassin's creed” “Een moordenaar?” the voice is higher now. “Nah, zij is prima volgens mij. Die man, die is veel gevaarlijker.” a huff and then quiet. He hears the sound of the shower getting turned on. He climbs into the bed, settling himself in one of the corners. It has been long since he last shared a bed. This is different, he tells himself. This time, they don’t have a choice. 

She had asked for pyjama’s to Johan by knocking on the door to the master bedroom, and now she was wearing a T-shirt like, over-sized nightgown, at least it was something. Slowly she opens the door, afraid to wake Loki if he happens to be asleep already. He is on one side of the bed, his hands behind his head, legs stretched out underneath the sheets. “How was your shower?” “Good,” she closes the door behind her “how is the bed?” “Tiny” she nods at that. Carefully climbing in on the other side, making sure not to accidentally touch Loki. The last time she shared a bed with someone must have been with Josh. That thought makes her miss him. 

“...about you” “What?” “I said, I overheard them talking about you, well, us actually.” He gestures to the wall at the head of the bed. Nova looks at him curiously. “What were they saying?” “That you look like her, but younger. That you dress as a killer from something called ‘Assassins Creed’ and that I am dangerous” She smiles at him as she settles on the pillow. “They aren’t wrong…” Her back is pressed against the wall but she cannot bend her knees without touching Loki. Knowing he doesn’t like touching she closes her eyes. This is going to be an uncomfortable night. 

* * *

It is the smell of coffee, combined with hushed voices that wakes Loki in the morning. He is on his side, his back pressed against the wall. In front of him is Nova, facing away from him. Her hair forming a halo on the pillow. Not wanting to wake her he remains still. Looking at how the morning light dances over her hair. He wonders what she dreams of. Is she dreaming of Doom? Loki hasn’t had many run-ins with the man. Yesterday actually was their second time meeting. During his conquest for Thanos, the Avenger Hawkeye had stolen away some of Dooms minions. The genius hadn’t been happy but Loki had been able to calm him by stating he had no intention of remaining in Europe and sending the minions back once he left the continent. 

Whatever plan Doom was still working on, he didn’t want Loki or the Avengers looking for him to interfere. That however wasn’t a good excuse to flirt with Nova. Certainly a man like Doom, who saw himself as equal to Loki, wasn’t interested in a simple human, right? He grinds his teeth together remembering how the man had kissed Nova’s hand. He wasn’t jealous was he? Just the thought made him fume. Of course not, she was human, he was Asgardian….SMACK! With an uncontrolled motion Nova slams her arm into his face. Immediately he is fully awake, sitting upright and holding her arm behind her back, pushing her face down into the mattress. 

“Ow, Loki! Let go!” just as quickly as he had grabbed her he releases, trying to scoot further away in the small bed. Nova turns around, groggy, very unhappy with the way he had woken her up. She looks at him, her eyes narrowing accusingly. “What?” “You hit me!” She blinks at him in surprise as she slowly rises, careful to keep distance between them. “I’m sorry?” he presses his lips together, staring straight into her eyes as if to overthink her apology. A soft knock on the door disrupts their staring contest as Johan talks through the door. “I hope you are awake.” Loki rolls his eyes, as if that wasn’t obvious from the previous tumult. “Breakfast is ready and we will leave in half an hour.” 

Nova isn’t impressed with the dutch breakfast. There is bread, not toast, just slices of bread with butter and various toppings, both sweet and savory. There is cheese, jam, chocolate sprinkles which apparently belonged on bread according to the packaging and pindakaas or peanut butter. The moment she steps out of the bedroom she hears a soft gasp. A woman is standing. About to sit down at the table, but frozen in her movement. Nova recognizes her. She has aged, not surprisingly, over the past decade. Her hair is a slightly different color from the chocolate brown that Nova remembers it having been. There are wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. Laugh wrinkles, she realizes. She looks in the blue eyes, bringing back so many memories. 

She finds herself taking a labored breath, averting her eyes and laughing shakily at her the emotions that suddenly overwhelm her. She feels Loki standing behind her, his looming presence forcing her into the room. The woman, no not the woman, her mom, looks at her, her hand grasping onto Johan’s shoulder. She’s also emotional, a few tears escaping down her cheek. Loki moves past her, taking a seat at the table. He must be hungry, ignoring the tension in the room as he starts to eat. Johan scrapes his throat, uncomfortable. This causes Linda to look at him. A small smile forming on her lips. Bitterness flows for a moment through Nova, that look should have been reserved for her dad. But it wasn’t it wasn’t meant to be. Linda looks up, the smile being replaced with a look of anxiety. “You’ve grown” Nova raises her eyebrow in response, that’s stating the obvious. Linda tries again, “you look well.” inclining her head Nova replies, “so do you.” that smile again, “Yes” and then more forceful “I don’t regret my choice” there is now a fierceness in her eyes. Nova recognizes it. 

She forces herself to smile, “I know” Linda takes a deep breath before continuing “But I do regret leaving you… behind. How is Micaiah?” and there was the dreaded question. Loki and Johan exchanged an amused look at the name. “Micha is fine, the last time I spoke to him” “oh, please sit, eat” Linda fiddled with the ruffles of her shirt, “so much must have changed” Nova nodded, her mouth now full of milk. She swallowed “the house is gone” “you sold it?” “not exactly” Loki swallowed the last mouthful of his fifth,-really fifth? how did he eat that quickly?- sandwich. “That might have been my doing” He leans back against the back of the chair, taking a comfortable sip of his milk, basking in the attention he is getting. “You see, I had escaped from my temporary prison and found the house empty. A perfect hideout, except it was found.” there is a mischievous twinkle in his eyes ”The Avengers destroyed the house in their attempt to seize me” That causes Nova to raise her eyebrow, “attempt? I believe they succeeded.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,
> 
> Thank you for reading.  
> Feel free to leave comments and kudos.  
> Make sure you are safe during these trying times.
> 
> Aïnsa
> 
> P.S. The dutch address used exist (Thank You GoogleMaps)  
> P.P.S. Did you know there is a clothing store in London named 'Tom Hiddleston is Perfection'? I hope their business survives the Corona-crisis, I would love to visit that store and take a look.


	18. The only constant woman for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting so excited about this!   
> Just a few more chapters before the end...
> 
> We find out what happened after Loki's revelation at the breakfast table.   
> Also a bit more of CA:TWS, so spoiler alert?

Loki is seated at the window seat. His head is resting against the pillow, his eyes closed, eyelashes fanning out over his cheeks. He looks peaceful but Nova does feel a bit disgruntled. He insisted on having the window seat so he wouldn’t have to sit next to any other ‘humans’ and now he is sleeping. He is sleeping and she is forced to look at the entertainment rather than outside. She has to admit the entertainment system has a couple of good movies such as The Great Gatsby and the Croods. Just like on every long journey she prefers to start with the intelligent movies and end with the children-ones. At some point you are so squeezed out that the intelligent movies just don’t….. With a huff she turns off the system. A flight of 18 hours, she should try to get some sleep. It’s been a long couple of days. 

Again she looks at Loki, peacefully sleeping next to her. Although she can see the tension in his neck and jaw. Even though he is asleep he is still aware, wary. She thought back to that morning. Breakfast after Loki’s revelation had been chaos. Linda had shouted to get the terrorist out of her house. How she must be ashamed of herself to put her family in such jeopardy. Then she threatened to call the police on them, which made Loki smile. Nova had to admit, it would be funny to see how the dutch police would handle an Asgardian god. The problem was however that they were trying to stay under the radar, and so they took their gear and left.

Luckily they didn’t have to wait long for the cab that Johan had called to take them to the airport. But somehow she didn’t think that the relationship with her mom had improved with this visit. At the airport Nova was surprised to meet Dr Doom again, in this case wearing a three piece suit and matching panama-hat to hide his metal physique. According to Loki however this wasn’t Dr. Doom but merely a ‘Doom-bot’ a robot pretending to be Dr. Doom. For Nova it didn’t matter, as long as they got the passports. Two Latverian passports in the names of Nova Starr and Levi Lugner helped them get through security. Nova Couldn’t help but laugh that Loki had to take off pretty much all of his armor since there were over 20 metal clasps and buckles. Something he found absolutely un-amusing. 

The last couple of days had been a roller-coaster for sure. Even though SHIELD was a worldwide organisation they hadn’t encountered any agents while in Europe. Now that they were returning to the states she couldn’t help but worry. What if they were waiting for them at the airport? Her mind was running wild. Loki would just teleport away, she couldn’t do that. They would catch her, torture her for information. What information? She didn’t have any. That wouldn’t stop them however. With torture one would eventually say anything just to get it to stop. That’s why so many women admitted to being witches during the middle ages. Loki still looked peaceful in his sleep. He had been sleeping almost the whole flight so far. It must be wonderful to sleep like that. She tugged the flight blanket closer to her chin and closed her eyes. For now there was nothing she could do but follow his example.

* * *

Natasha nods sternly at the man in front of her, flashing her badge. He raises his eyebrow before nodding back and taking the badge from her. Verifying its validity. It is a good one, she knows it. She made it herself. But it is still a fake and she can feel her heartbeat rise as he scrutinizes the work. Then his eyes turn to her and she focuses on keeping her face neutral. She is here as his superior, to check some things in the weapons vault. An order from higher up. “You’re not military” He smiles, a nice smile, warm and it makes the corners of his eyes crinkle. She takes a breath, slowly letting it out before replying. “It has been a while since I visited a base.” She returns his smile. “Everything seems to be in order, so just let me escort you” he turns on his heels and walks in front of her through the heavily armed door. It is the last one of the three before entering the vault. Natasha looks around, taking in as much as she can without making it obvious. It’s her training, she can’t help herself. 

A box is grabbed from the upper level and put on a sterile metal table in front of her. She starts to open the box, going through the contents. He seats himself on the table next to her.“Where were you stationed?” The soldier looks at her questioningly. “Russia mostly, during the end of the cold war. After that, just a desk job in DC. You?” There is a lot of junk in the box. Clearly no-one has needed it. “Two and a half tours of Iraq, then I got injured and they stationed me here.” He looks past her, Faraway. “That must suck” “Yeah a bit, but I’ve got the chance to start a family, see the kids grow up, you know. A lot of my mates don’t have that.” She finds what she’s looking for, setting it aside carefully before beginning to put the rest of the stuff back in the box. For a moment she is tempted to take some sort of grappling hook device that apparently can be attached to the suit but decides not to. It would be cause for suspicion. “And who is the lucky lady?” she smiles at the soldier as she closes the box, putting the suit in the suitcase she had brought along for that purpose. He scratches his neck before taking the box back to its original place. “I haven’t found her yet.” 

She raises her eyebrow. “Really, such a handsome stud as yourself?” That makes him laugh. “It’s clear you weren't really in a war zone. I needed some time readjusting after Iraq.” She hums in acknowledgment as he walks her back to the entrance of the storage facility. “Perhaps, if you’d like….” he hesitates, scratching the back of his neck again and she gives him an encouraging smile. “We could exchange stories over a drink?” she lets her smile falter for a moment. “Soldier, I’m all for exchanging stories, but don’t think it would be anything more. My husband would not be pleased.” His cheeks turn red and his eyes go to the wedding band on her finger before darting to the ground. “Yes, Ma’am.” He holds the door for her before saluting stiffly and turning his back. Natasha can’t help feeling sorry for him, he seems like a nice guy. 

She gets in the car next to Sam Wilson before he starts driving off the military terrain. “All good?” she smiles, “Piece of cake” He smiles at the security gate camera before driving through and speeding up. “It’s a bit dusty but it’ll do.” “Really? I worked two tours for them in that gear and once I quit they threw her away like trash?” She smiles at his tone before removing the wig. “It wasn’t thrown away, just put in a box and forgotten.” “Was that supposed to make me feel better?” “sorry..” “Nah, it’s okay, I’m glad I’ve got her back.” “Her?” It's Steve coming over the phone system. “Her” Natasha confirms before Sam shuts her up “The only constant woman for me in Iraq, except for mum.” She can hear Steve snicker over the phone before his voice goes back into captain mode. “Just get back quickly, we have to make a plan.”

“From the News I’ve gathered that every SHIELD base in the US has had some sort of tumult going on. I’m not sure about Europe though, but I would be surprised if Hydra didn’t have infiltrators there too.” Steve is pacing through the tiny living space. Sam’s face turns grim while he continues to clean the suit, now displayed on the table. “What about the others?” Natasha asks, her foot on the table, the chair she is sitting on leaning back on one leg. “As far as I could tell the tower has been overtaken and Tony Stark is still inside. With his heart surgery a month ago it’s going to take at least half a year for him to fully recover. So no help from Tony.” 

Natasha nods, thinking about her options. “Perhaps we should try to warn Rhodes about his predicament, someone has to get Tony out.” “You mean Colonel Rhodes? From the air force?” Sam sounds surprised for a moment before raising his hand to stop any reaction from coming “No wait, I remember, He’s the War Machine now, isn’t he?” Natasha and Steve nod “I thought he only operated on military command and on the west coast.” “For Tony he’ll probably make an exception.” “I can contact him if you need. The Air force has a few secret techniques for special occasions.” He gets excited, finally he has a reason to use those techniques. The feeling is dampened as he looks at Natasha. One of her eyebrows is raised and he feels his smile falter. “Yeah, I know, you probably know every technique there is.” She smiles before turning to Steve. 

“It’s not a bad idea actually. Why don’t you contact Rhodes, make it seem like some veteran thing. That would mean we don't have to worry about the tower or Tony for now.” He nods to himself before frowning again. “Where are the others?” “Banner lives in the tower too, so maybe Tony’s already out?” “He’s at a conference in Cambridge, Harvard.” He doesn’t question her, he’s learned with spies it’s better just to acknowledge their power. “Okay so that leaves Hawkeye and Thor.” “Thor is with Jane Foster and the portals she’s building, she should be safe, perhaps he has even wrecked the Santa Fe SHIELD facility.” Steve sits down for a moment before getting up again to regain his pacing. “So it’s the three of us?” “What about the Hawkeye dude?” Sam asks, Natasha looks at him uncomfortable before turning to Steve. “He’s still battling the aftermath of the invasion.” Sam nods, that’s enough for him. He knows first hand how much impact such a battle can have. He’s worked with enough veterans to know. More recently even some survivors from the Invasion. 

“Should we get a message to Thor?” Steve is looking at Natasha. “Already took care of that.” “How? When?” She takes a breath, pulling her foot not on the table on the chair so she can rest her chin on her knee. Sam looks at the chair with one eyebrow raised before continuing his cleaning. “You remember Nova?” “The library girl that got attacked by Loki and then forced to stay with him after Tony had disappeared?” “Yeah, well… I trust her.” Both men look at her with surprise and she rolls her eyes in response. “I trust her and believe... believed once she could be a good asset to SHIELD.” “As a spy?” “Something like that.” Steve nods, “She will warn Thor?” “I believe so yes” Sam drops his cloth, pushing the button to make the wing retract. “Are we just going to skim over the fact that the tower also served as Thor’s maniac little brother's prison?” Both heads turn to him as he continues “I mean, what if they let him out?” Steve's face turns to him, a stern expression “Then we catch him again. He has escaped before, we caught him. I just hope that he can go back to Asgard soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi
> 
> Thank you for reading.  
> If you enjoyed my story so far, leave kudos and or a comment.  
> I hope you are staying safe and sticking to the Covid-19 regulations in your country.
> 
> Stay safe, Sane and reading.  
> Aïnsa


	19. Damn what’s taking Thor so long?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are closing in on the end of the story.   
> After this just two more chapters to go. I'm so excited!  
> This chapter has a bit of Thor, Jane and Darcy.   
> I hope you enjoy it!

“You are saying my brother is in the big town?” Jane looks at the police officer excusingly. It’s rather late at night and the cold from outside is chilling her bare legs. “Y-y-yes, Sir.” The man replies, trembling on his feet. She feels sorry for him, Thor isn’t exactly happy with the news and he looks angry. Intimidatingly angry, towering over the poor officer. “Thank you, Officer, We’ll take it from here.” “Yes, do not worry. My brother shall not again hurt another midgardian while I’m here.” The loudness of his voice causes the man to stumble back before he nods and takes off to his car. Jane closes the door, taking a deep sigh. “I’m not ready to meet your  _ brother _ ” she puts as much hatred as she can into the word. “Not after what he did to Erik.” She crosses her arms, leaning against the wall of the small hallway. Thor is standing in front of her, his arms also crossed. 

“I’m driving!” It’s Darcy, darting down the stairs in her unicorn pyjama’s, but she’s ignored. Jane looks at Thor, “Wasn’t he imprisoned in the tower?” Thor closes his eyes, thinking about his answer. “I think whoever attacked your lab the day before yesterday must have also attacked the tower. They must have freed my brother.” “Then why is he here?” Darcy is standing between them now, squeezed in the narrow halfway. “Don’t get me wrong, but he doesn’t really seem like the tame kind that goes looking for his brother, first chance he gets. If he was freed, why didn’t he run?” Thor looks down uncomfortable and tries to squeeze himself back towards the door. “I wish I knew, it cannot mean much good.” Jane huffs before shoving Darcy aside and grabbing his arm with both her hands. Even with both hands she cannot touch her fingers on the other side. “I’m worried Thor, please be careful.” “I can handle my brother, Jane.” Darcy hugs her from behind “and I’ll bring my taser just in case.” Jane nods, taking Selvig’s keys and both their coats. “I’ll take Erik to the lab. Let me know once he’s gone.” 

Darcy cannot help but feel excited about meeting Loki. Thor has told many stories about their quests together. Even though the younger god seems to have changed a lot since then. She had seen the footage from New York on the television. She wonders what he is like. Is he truly evil? Will she have to use her taser on him? The thought gets her excited. Last time she used her taser on a god he wasn’t all that godly. Thor is quiet next to her in the car. Using the time to get to Santa Fe to think. He could have flown there of course, he isn’t sure why he didn’t. Is he secretly hoping Loki will seize the chance to escape. Honestly he hated seeing his brother imprisoned. Now that the Tesseract was back there was no need for Loki to remain imprisoned on earth. He would take his brother to Asgard, to Odin. There, there will be a trial and Loki will be punished for his behavior. Not just his most recent behavior, not just the attempt to conquer earth. No, he would also be held accountable for the destruction of the Bifrost and the attack on Jotunheim. He wondered how he would judge his brother. Absentmindedly he fiddled with the handcuffs he wears on his belt. They were of Asgardian makings, specially designed to limit the magic of the wearer. Specially designed to confine his brother. 

It is past midnight once they arrive in Santa Fe. The streets are dark and desolate, the only light coming from the occasionally working streetlight or from the inside of the police station. Darcy parks the car and leaps out, tripping over her own feet to get to the door. Thor holds her back, one heavy hand on her shoulder, and positions her behind him. If Loki is still going to attempt to escape, it would be dangerous to let Darcy go first. An officer opens the door for them, silently gesturing for them to follow him to the cells. Most are empty. One man is snoring loudly on the bench in his cell, another holds two young scarcely clothed women huddled together. The last one, furthest away from the entrance houses two figures. Loki is seated on the bench, one of his legs pulled up, his back against the wall. On his other leg rests the head of a woman, she’s on her side, her back facing the entrance. One of Loki’s hands is petting her hair. He is talking to her, softly. Concern on his face. 

“Brother!” The face contorts to one of anger before being pulled into a controlled expression. The woman has risen suddenly at the loud voice, wincing while turning to its source. “Thor” there is resentment in the voice. “Miss Nova?” “Hi Thor” her voice is croaky. As if she’s sick and Thor feels a surge of protectiveness as he turns to the officer. Ready to shout at the man to open the door, but Darcy beats him to it. “What are you waiting for? Open the damn door!” The door is opened hastily and Darcy gestures for Nova to follow her. “We’ll take care of all the paperwork while you two reacquaint.” She grabs the other woman’s arm and starts dragging her behind the officer.

“Brother” Thor’s voice is laced with suspicion as he waits for Loki to focus on him, rather than the two women walking away. “What have you done to Miss Nova?” “Why would you care?” “I consider her my friend.” Loki’s face goes back to anger “Of course. You claim every midgardian you meet as your friend!” he sneers before reaching the door and holding out his hands. He had seen the cuffs already, recognized them for what they were. He grimaces as he feels his connection to magic sever the moment Thor puts them on. He is by no means gentle and Loki winces as Thor yanks on the chain connecting the cuffs. He is dragged closer to him, almost nose to nose. Thor’s eyes spew fire as he repeats his question “What have you done to Miss Nova?” 

The paperwork is more of a formality than actually necessary. Neither her nor Loki had much more than their clothes when they arrived. Quickly she signs the papers before handing them back. Darcy the other woman is staring at her all the time. It is making her feel self-conscious. “What?” “Are you okay?” She shrugs in response, “Just tired, I’ll be fine.” “Okey Dokey, I’m Darcy, by the way. Jane Foster’s intern.” She smiles, extending her hand. Nova hesitates before shaking it, giving a tired smile in return. “Nova”. “Just ‘Nova’? That is so cool. Like Madonna or P!nk!” “Yeah, something like that.” she mumbles, but Darcy doesn’t even seem to hear it. “You must be absolutely exhausted. From what I’ve heard from Thor, Loki is a real handful. It’s horrible what he did in New York. One of our friends, Erik Selvig was involved, you know?” 

She drags Nova to the car and gets her in the front seat before getting behind the wheel himself. “He did a real number on Erik. The guy is still not the same, although he always was a bit of a weirdo I guess. Loki controlled his mind for a while.” Suddenly she turns to Nova, eyes wide open and looking directly at Nova’s. Nova scrapes her throat, fiddling with the ends of her sleeves and turning away. “He’s not controlling you is he?” “I don-” “You wouldn’t be able to tell me of course... Damn what’s taking Thor so long?” She starts drumming on the steering wheel. Accidentally blasting the horn. The door of the police station opens and as on cue Thor drags Loki to the car. There is a red blotch forming on Loki’s jawline and his lip is bleeding. Nova grinds her teeth but otherwise remains quiet.

“You better have an explanation for showing up here.” “Why  _ brother, _ ” the word sounds venomous “are you not happy to see me?” They are back in the living room. Loki is on the couch, leaning as far back as he can without slumping. Thor is standing in front of him, looming over him. Nova is still hesitantly standing in the doorway and Darcy had darted to the kitchen mentioning hot cocoa. Thor growls at Loki, both staring the other down. Darcy returns, pushing a cup of hot cocoa in Thor's hands before he can get physical again. Nova also accepts a cup and brings another to Loki, setting it on the low table next to the couch. She sets herself on the couch next to Loki, drawing a strange look from both Thor and Darcy. “If I tell you what happened tomorrow, will you let us sleep? Now?” she sips her hot cocoa, savoring the taste. This is the stuff that makes you feel human again. She sighs, looking at Thor hopefully. “Yes, of course, you must be exhausted. You can go with Darcy, she will show you the guest room. Loki will sleep with me.” That last comment causes Darcy to spit some of her drink back in the cup, while Loki just scowls. “Ehm, Thor? Erik’s room is not really available…. Remember?” The name Erik gets Loki’s interest as he looks between Darcy and Thor for further elaboration. It doesn’t come. Instead Thor just suggests Darcy to share her room with Nova. 

* * *

Nova is the first in the morning to wander downstairs. She turns on the coffee machine and starts making eggs and bacon for breakfast, she’s going to need the energy today. It's a bit of a search in the unknown kitchen. She sets the finished breakfast in the oven to remain warm while getting started herself, turning on the television. Looking at the clock she can see it’s already almost noon. Apparently she wasn’t the only one in need of some sleep. The smell of coffee seems to lure the others downstairs. Thor immediately goes for breakfast, after dumping Loki in a chair, while Darcy just starts on the coffee, setting four cups on the table. Nova gently moves hers away, she doesn’t like coffee. From the corner of her eyes she sees Loki do the same. Thor has gotten the plate from the oven and set it in the middle of the table, providing plates for everyone. Nova pushes away the plate, earning her a concerned look from the others, even Loki. “I already ate” Darcy nods encouragingly while attacking her own food. Thor seems more reserved. 

“Perhaps during breakfast I can tell you what happened?” that way they won’t be interrupting her. Thor signals for her to begin. And she takes a deep breath, ordering her thoughts and looking at the table in front of her. “The tower was attacked, I don’t know how or why or by whom. They were dressed as SHIELD agents when they broke down my door and dragged my out of bed. Loki rescued me. His restraints were gone and he teleported us away from the tower, disguised us. We were found, and in the split second before they shot Loki brought us to Germany. Since then we’ve been making our way back to the States and to you. Natasha told me to warn you,” She looks at Thor “in case anything happened in the tower.” Thor nods, looking at her while swallowing. “We’ve also experienced an attack. They tried to overtake Jane’s lab and her portal. I chased them off. Followed them to their Lair and destroyed it. It wasn’t SHIELD who attacked us. These men had the sigil of a red six-legged kraken with a skull for a body. Nova nods, she had seen that sigil somewhere too. “They housed the Tesseract in their base. I confiscated it.” He doesn’t seem very happy having recovered the powerful artifact. Nova knows that finding the Tesseract means he would have to return to Asgard and leave Jane. She feels the same, strangely enough. The Tesseract means that Loki would be leaving. He might still be the god of mischief but to her he has also become a friend, an ally. She’s going to miss him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Reading and writing during these trying times helps me to stay inside and stick with the Covid-19 regulations in my country.   
> This story is slowly coming to an end.   
> If you enjoyed reading this far, please leave kudos and/or a comment.   
> Constructive criticism is also welcome!
> 
> Remember to be safe!
> 
> Aïnsa


	20. I didn’t want to

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have arrived! The grand finale!  
> What happens to Nova and Loki during the final battle of CA:TWS?  
> Read to find out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone,
> 
> The second to last chapter.   
> I'm sorry for not updating last week. I was enjoying a well deserved holiday in my neigbouring country.   
> Well protected with masks and everything it was much needed.   
> There will be one more chapter added after this.
> 
> If you enjoy the story, dont forget to comment or leave Kudos!  
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Aïnsa

Darcy is on the phone with Jane, she is walking restlessly through the kitchen as she tries to explain what has happened. She has been doing so for the past hour or so, not allowing Jane to stop her. Thor is standing outside, his battle armor ready. He is waiting for the last bit of information Jane is retrieving. Mjolnir is ready in his hand. Darcy stops sharply, running to the TV to turn it on. Her phone squeezed between her shoulder and ear. “Thor, come inside!” Nova who had been cleaning the kitchen comes too. Lured by the panicky edge to Darcy’s voice. Even Loki shows himself downstairs, having heard the commotion. He stays in the doorway, unwilling to get closer to Thor. 

Darcy and Nova are seated on the couch. Two completely different women. One can almost not stay still, bouncing her leg and changing her position every few minutes. The other is quiet, knees pressed to her chest and her chin leaning on her knees. Her face is a blank mask and she almost seems like a statue if she wouldn’t have to blink every now and then. Both radiate tension, adding to the palpable atmosphere in the room. Then there are the two men. Thor, standing ready in full battle armor, leaning his hammer on the back of the couch. His fingers drum silently on the handle of the weapon. A concentrated frown on his face. His stance is matching his outfit, he looks ready to bolt through the door and fight whatever threat there is. Loki is leaning in the doorway. His hands are still shackled together, a purplish bruise on his jaw the only color except for the green in his eyes. 

The tv is set to the news. There is a news reporter talking about a terrorist attack on the Triskelion, Shield headquarters. The main attacker is the recently turned terrorist Captain America who is now unworthy of that title and only addressed as Steve Rogers. Three enormous planes that make both Thor and Loki recall the helicarrier rise up from the water basin in front of the building. According to the news lady today Shield wanted to demonstrate the new security structures to the World Security Council who are now on site. “I’m going to help.” Darcy gets up from the couch, still on the phone, while Thor makes his way outside. “We’ll meet you in New York tomorrow.” She shouts after him. They don’t hear the door close and before Darcy is back on the couch Thor stomps back into the room. He turns to Nova this time “Take care of my brother until I'm there.” She nods in return and then he leaves, this time they do hear the door close. 

It is then that Loki walks into the living room. He is walking a bit stiffly. Once he sits down Nova can see the raw skin where the cuffs are biting in his wrists. He doesn’t pay attention to her, or Darcy for that matter. His face is turned to the TV. The local news reporter and her camera man have climbed on a nearby roof and he is commenting on what they see. The camera man tries to follow the commotion. Two figures can be seen flying and jumping around the three helicarriers. One has wings and is being shot at by ground personnel. A lot of explosions are happening in the air as he tries to evade the automatic missiles of the helicarriers. The other dons the White and Blue Captain America suit and can be seen running on one of the others. Then a third party arrives, dressed in black except for one arm which reflects the light as if made out of metal. He is still at the base. Attacking Shield fighter jets, before stepping in one himself. The news reporter doesn’t know who he is or who he works for. It is clear there is something going on within SHIELD. 

Then Captain America is seen jumping off his helicarrier as if he has finished his job. The flying man goes after him. Catching him mid-fall and flying them both to the third helicarrier. That’s when the third guy shows up for the second time. Throwing Captain America from the deck before engaging in a fight with the winged man. The camera man has lost sight of Captain America and focuses on the two men fighting on the deck. The metal arm guy rips one of the wings from the winged guy before kicking him off the helicarrier too. They see a parachute open just seconds before the man lands and both Darcy and Nova let out a sigh of relief. 

The camera then flicks to the building. Red flashing lights can be seen through the windows. People are running out of the emergency exits and onto the square. Then the reporter lets out an almost feminine squeal. “There he is! He survived! Hang on Captain!” The camera swirls back and finds Captain America hanging on the side of the helicarrier. He drags himself up before disappearing inside a door. It takes a while before the helicarriers get re-positioned. One a bit above the others, the third one at an angle. Then they start shooting. “They are destroying each other. No! Captain America is still on that one!” The news reporter screams as if hoping someone hears him and turns off the guns. The first two start falling out of the sky, hitting the water bassin and each other along the way. The News reporter doesn’t notice, but the camera-man does. He follows the fall with the camera before returning to the last carrier in the sky. The one with Captain America on board. It is on fire, dark clouds coming from multiple places along the huge craft. He searches the ship for Captain America but the hero still remains inside. 

Now this carrier starts to sink too. Going straight for the Triskelion. A small black chopper, the same one that landed just after the alarms went off, now takes off again. It circles the building before flipping sideways and catching someone flying through the window. One of the few remaining in the building. It happens just the moment the last carrier carves a path through the north tower. More and more debris starts falling from the carrier as it gets loose from the building and makes its way to the river. There is so much smoke the camera can’t get a clear shot anymore. A lightning bolt from the sky announces the arrival from Thor. He arrives just in time to see the last carrier sink. He is too late to save Steve. 

* * *

Nova looks up from her window seat. This time not the library, but the common room. Everyone has gathered there to welcome the survivors of the Washington fiasco. Darcy is seated on the couch with Pepper. War Machine is guarding Loki who is trying to look innocent, and failing miserably. Tony Stark is on the phone, arranging a hotel for Jane and Erik Selvig. 

Nova was so glad she could sleep in her own bed for a change. She really missed the luxurious duvets. She also missed her library. She had wanted to visit it that morning but never got the chance. Instead she was tasked with bringing Loki to the common area, where they are now. She really shouldn’t be here. She is the only one without powers or a suit except miss Potts. But then again Potts is in a relationship with Stark. She is the CEO of Stark Industries. 

A small plane lands on the landing strip. She can see it from the window. Four people walk out, pushing with them a bed with the fifth. She can hardly believe it. From all the not gods, the superhuman is the one who cannot walk. It takes a while before the elevator dings. Three people step out. Nova recognizes Natasha and Thor, the last woman she also recognizes from being a shield agent when her house was destroyed. Thor goes straight for Loki, making sure he is still secured, before asking Darcy about Jane. Maria goes to Tony and Pepper. Nova looks up surprised to see the black widow coming for her. Surely she isn’t the most interesting persona there. 

“I heard what you did. I’m impressed.” The woman seats herself with a slight wince on the other side of the window. “Thanks?” Nova isn’t sure how to react. “It appears I was right” “Yes, there was something going on within SHIELD.” The redhead shakes her head, her lips curling up for a moment. “About you. You managed not only to warn Thor, but to do so and keep Loki in custody.” Nova can’t keep the surprise of her face. Not only was she too late to warn Thor. She has no idea why Loki stuck with her through it all. He could have, and in her opinion probably should have, bailed first chance he got. She pulls her face back to a neutral expression before replying. Remembering the conversation she had with the widow less than a week ago. “I passed your trial.” She gets a real smile in return. “Yes, and now that SHIELD is gone and the whole world knows who I am” she sighs “Well, let’s just say we need new people on the inside to help us bring down the remnants of SHIELD and Hydra.” “And you want me to help you.” Natasha nods. “Yes, take your time. Think about it, think it through. Let me know before the end of next week.” She gets up, touching Tony’s arm for a moment to get his attention, before addressing the whole room “I’m going to check on Steve.” and then she leaves. 

On the other side of the room the conversation has become heated. On one side are Tony, Pepper, Rhodey and Maria. On the other side is Thor. Darcy has left to inform Jane of Thor’s arrival. Nova is joined in the window seat by Loki. There is a twinkle in his eyes, as if he is waiting for something to happen. She turns to bump her shoulder to his. “Why didn’t you leave?” his eyes turn dark and he turns to her. “I didn’t want to.” she blinks her eyes in surprise “But now you’re a prisoner again. You could have been free.” “No” the harsh tone surprises her and he takes a deep breath, looking out into the room before continuing in a softer manner. “I would have been on the run. That isn’t freedom.” He turns to her, an amused look on his face. “Besides, I wanted to know how the story ended.” His face gets serious once again. “I had to make sure you got back safely.” He looks back into the room. His face turning back to neutral. Nova can see the vulnerability shining in his eyes. She almost can't believe he cares about her that much, enough to give up his freedom for her. 

“No. Enough is enough. You’ve got the tesse-thingy back,” “Tesseract” “That, yeah, that was the reason he stayed. Now it’s back, he has to go.” “But my brother has helped.” “Helped how exactly? Was he not too late to warn you because he took a detour to Europe? How is that helping?” “God knows what he has done while free, perhaps even laid the foundation to take the earth after all. I’m sorry Thor, but I have to agree with the others here. Loki remains a threat to us as long as he is on earth. It is time for him to return to Asgard.” “Then I will have to return with him.” “I’d rather you not, we could use your help taking down the remnants of hydra.” “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. I have to take my brother to Asgard. Apparently there is no way for him to be contained here safely.” 

Thor disappears into the hallway for a moment and all the others look beaten. They really don’t want Thor to go, but at the same time need Loki gone. Thor really doesn’t want to go. It seems he really doesn’t want Loki to go either. Nova has followed the discussion with interest. A touch to her hand makes her snap out of her revelations. She looks at Loki questioningly. “I’m afraid this is where our paths divert too.” “Wait, what do you mean? You’re not coming back?” He looks down for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’m afraid my crimes will need punishment, even if i’m not for the axe.” a shudder down his spine makes his hands tremble for a moment “Best case scenario, I will be imprisoned for a limited time. That limited time however will be much more than your lifetime.” Nova blinks her eyes, forcing the tears back. She is not going to cry with everyone watching. Instead she just nods. “Do you really think you will be executed?” Her voice is small. Finally he looks up again, just as Thor re-enters the room. “I really hope not, however, I wouldn’t exactly be surprised.” His mouth forms a hard line “Odin isn’t known for his mercy.” Then as an afterthought he adds silently “Perhaps the axe is the mercy.” 

Thor grabs Loki’s arm and hauls him upright. Nova rises with him. She stops Thor for a moment with a hand on his arm. Then she looks at Loki, into his eyes. Very gently she places her hands on his chest. She can feel his heart beat through the thin fabric. Her own heart is hammering away. If he really is going to be executed, she wanted him to have at least this little joy. Very gently she kisses him. Brushing her lips over his. Then just as suddenly she steps back and lets him go. Her cheeks are burning. His eyes are wide open. A bit of color on his cheeks too. “Goodbye Loki, I hope you will survive and be happy” realizing how stupid that sounded she added “one day.” He grabs her hand, holding it for a second in both of his. “Farewell miss Nova” It was a whisper so soft only she and Thor could hear. 

Thor looked surprised at the both of them. Before an expectant look from Tony stark reminded him to drag Loki out the door. The others follow, to the helipad where both Asgardians grab a side of the clear Tesseract tube. With a bright blue flash that forces the others to close their eyes and avert their faces, they are gone. It is now that Nova opens her hand, in her palm is a black pebble.


	21. Epilogue & Sneak Peek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sneak peek of what is to come and a note from me.   
> The chapter is very short, sorry.   
> But i'm already two chapters into part 2 so don't worry.   
> Stay tuned for the continuing and rewrite of this story! ;)

Nova quickly closes the door behind her. Glad the meeting is over. She starts making her way through the old castle. It is one of the few remaining Hydra bases in Europe. The old castle with its still intact moat and dungeons giving the perfect atmosphere for a top secret worldwide terrorist organisation. She turns around the corner on her way to the stairs. Nodding curtly to the other agents making their way up. 

Honestly she thought the whole spy business would be more exciting. So far all she has been is bored. It was surprisingly easy to rise the ranks of the organisation. With her last name, they just assumed she hated everything Tony Stark and was with them for her personal revenge. On the other hand she was a young woman. Apparently attractive enough to attract attention from the young men higher up. But, most importantly, she was intelligent. Unlike most foot soldiers, she used her brain. It had put her on the bad side of Strucker a few times, but so far it had always turned in her favour. She wasn’t sure why, although she had the suspicion that the visit of Dr Doom had something to do with it. 

So even her stubbornness couldn’t help her enjoy her time here at least a little bit. She missed her friends, or what was left of them. She missed training with Natasha and Maria. She missed hanging out with Sam, talking on the phone with Anna and Josh. But most of all she missed Loki. He would have come up with some sort of prank, something to entertain her. But by now it was over seven months ago since she last saw him. She had left him a kiss, he had left her a prank and a pebble. The corner of her mouth turns up as she remembers how he must have spent all night pulling it off without his magic. 

Still smiling she opens the door to her room. Every officer has their own bedroom, luckily. It is tiny, just fitting a bed, wardrobe and table. But at least it’s hers. Her few personal belongings, a book, a black pebble and a diary with a pen are on the table. The bed is blocked from her view by the wardrobe. She turns to lock the door. In her peripheral vision she sees a gold flash followed by a soft groan. She whips around, hand going to the gun holstered on her hip. 

She pulls it out, pointing it around the edge of the wardrobe before following with her body once she finds no reaction to the gun. As she rounds the corner she drops the gun to the floor with a loud clatter. There, on her bed. His face contorted in pain. A huge gaping wound on his chest. She can see the blood collecting on her blankets and figures it must be a through and through. 

His face is grayish, almost blue as he looks at her with blood-ridden eyes. But it all doesn’t register in her mind. His mouth opens, his voice croaky, soft. It takes him a lot of effort to speak. “It seems, I am in need of your assistance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone
> 
> That is the end of the story everyone…
> 
> Thank you so much for reading it this far. I had an amazing experience writing this. It was so much fun and I learned so much. What you have just read is the first draft of the first part of my story. There are two things I want to do now. 
> 
> Firstly I want to rewrite this part. Since it is the first draft, and although enjoyable it isn’t perfect. I want to add some things, change some things. So there will be a second draft of this. I will post it on Ao3 too. Not only for you guys to read but also for me to see how much I’ve grown between drafts. So if you have any suggestions, tips or tops, constructive criticism or for example a story I really should read because it portrays a certain character very well. Please let me know in the comments. You are also allowed to comment if you think the story is perfect and doesn’t need anything rewritten. Don’t hold back. 
> 
> Secondly, I want to continue this story. As the epilogue suggests, Loki will return to earth and to Nova. Nova will start working for the Avengers as their spy within the remnants of Hydra and I’m very excited where the story and the characters are going to take me when I add Thor: TDW and Avengers: AOU into the mix. I’m hoping they are ready for a bit more romance. If there is anything specific you would like to know about the characters that happens or could happen or a specific scene from the movies you would like me to use, please let me know. 
> 
> I hope you’re just as excited as I am about the story and of course the upcoming Disney+ series Loki, WandaVision and Falcon & Winter soldier. I’m also super hyped about the possibilities of the multiverse with both Loki and Wanda hopefully appearing in the new Dr Strange. Then there is the new Thor movie, I believe there can’t be a Thor movie without Loki, so fingers crossed. And of course the Black Widow movie coming up. 
> 
> So any general comments, any suggestions for the rewrite or continuing story, any hopes for the Disney+ series and upcoming Marvel movies. Anything you want me to write more (perhaps scene settings or fluff and sweetness or smut) or write less or something I need more practice with. Please let me know! 
> 
> For now, stay safe, stay sane and keep reading!
> 
> Aïnsa


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